With the publication in 1989 of her first novel, "The Joy Luck Club", Amy Tan was immediately recognized as a major contemporary novelist. Her work explores the lives of the women in four Chinese-American families and the daughters who struggle to fulfill or reject the cultural and familial expectations placed on them. This new edition offers a selection of diverse critical voices that explore and elucidate the intricate relationships that course through the novel. Complete with an introduction from literary scholar Harold Bloom, this study guide also features a chronology, a bibliography, an index, and notes on the contributors.
John Keats (Bloom's Major Poets)John Keats is unique among all post-Shakespearean poets in that he offers "an example of what human life at its most wise and compassionate," according to Bloom. Study his "Ode to a Grecian Urn," "The Eve of St. Agnes," and others. This series is edited by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University; Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Professor of English, New York University Graduate School. History’s greatest poets are covered in one series with expert analysis by Harold Bloom and other critics.
This volume is designed to present biographical, critical, and bibliographical information on Hemingway's best-known or most important short stories. Following Harold Bloom's editor's note and introduction is a detailed biography of Ernest Hemingway, discussing major life events and important literary accomplishments. A plot summary of each short story follows, tracing significant themes, patterns, and motifs in the work, and an annotated list of characters supplies brief information on the main characters in each story.
Ernest Hemingway's unique prose employed a spare, brutal style that revolutionized American literature. This volume is designed to present biographical, critical, and bibliographical information on Hemingway's best-known or most important works. Following Harold Bloom's editor's note and introduction is a detailed biography of the author, discussing major life events and important literary accomplishments. A plot summary of each novel follows, tracing significant themes, patterns, and motifs in the work.
For many, The Tempest constitutes Shakespeare's farewell to the stage and stands as one of the most evocative and moving explorations of human possibilities and limits. Though today the play is typically called a romance, Harold Bloom suggests that it is a comedy marked by a sobering awareness of finality and the advance of time. In this new collection of critical essays, The Tempest is examined from a variety of schools of criticism. A chronology of Shakespeare's life, a bibliography of his works, an index for quick reference, and an introduction by Shakespearean scholar Harold Bloom round out this volume.
