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."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (Bloom's Classic Critical Views)
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a key figure of the American Renaissance of the mid-19th century. His essay "Nature" is considered one of the most influential works in American history, and he inspired the likes of Whitman, Thoreau, and Dickinson. This volume from the new Bloom's "Classic Critical Views" series features compelling essays from the 19th and early 20th centuries that offer students unique historical insights into a visionary whose works have remained relevant for generations.
A key figure in the development of American literature, nineteenth-century novelist and short-story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne is perhaps best known for his novels The Scarlet Letter, The Marble Faun, and The House of the Seven Gables. Also among his major achievements are numerous stories including "My Kinsman, Major Molineux," "Young Goodman Brown," and "The Minister's Black Veil." Hawthorne, perhaps more so than any other writer of his time, continued in the English literary tradition while taking as his subject the early history of New England.
Bloom states that Shakespeare and his elliptical mode deeply affected the writing of Herman Melville. Study Melville's work, including "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street," "The Encantadas," "Benito Cereno," and Billy Budd, Sailor.
This title also features a biography of Herman Melville, a user guide, a detailed thematic analysis of each short story, a list of characters in each story, a complete bibliography of Melville’s works, an index of themes and ideas, and editor’s notes and introduction by Harold Bloom.
Featuring the most frequently taught female writers and texts of the early modern period, this Companion introduces the reader to the range, complexity, historical importance, and aesthetic merit of women's writing in Britain from 1500-1700. Presenting key textual, historical, and methodological information, the volume exemplifies new and diverse approaches to the study of women's writing.