As a poet, novelist, essayist, and playwright, Oscar Wilde excelled in a range of genres, engaging and fascinating his readers with his ability to make use of compatible contraries. Many of his central works, including 'The Importance of Being Earnest', 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', 'Lady Windermere's Fan', and 'Salomé', and their lasting influence are discussed in this new edition of critical essays. This entry in the Bloom's Modern Critical Views series features an introductory essay from literary critic Harold Bloom, a chronology of Wilde's life, a bibliography of his works, and an index for handy reference.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (Bloom's Classic Critical Views)
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-92) was born in Lincolnshire, the sixth of eleven children of a clergyman. After a childhood marked by trauma, he went up to Cambridge in 1828, where he met Arthur Hallam, whose premature death had a lasting influence on Tennyson's life and writing. His two volumes of Poems (1842) established him as the leading poet of his generation, and of the Victorian period.
William Shakespeare (Bloom's Classic Critical Views)
William Shakespeare is possibly the most revered writer of the English language. This volume offers critical essays examining the human drama in Shakespeare's work, studying his plays, and more. Also included is an informative biography of the Bard, a complete bibliography of his work, and a list of critical work about the writer.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, a story she wrote at the age of 19, is still a popular tale to this day. The novel is studied here in terms of its Romantic elements. Other works examined include Mathilda and The Last Man.
Walt Whitman transcended the conventional sentiments and romanticized morality of his era with a body of work that incorporated new poetic forms and controversial subject matter. This volume examines Whitman’s innovations with an introduction by Professor Harold Bloom, an extensive biography of Whitman, and a critical analysis of his work, including "Leaves of Grass."
