The Tales of Poe

by Harold Bloom (Editor)

A collection of critical essays on Poe's tales of horror arranged in chronological order of publication

167 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1987

About the author

Harold Bloom was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was called "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking world." After publishing his first book in 1959, Bloom wrote more than 50 books, including over 40 books of literary criticism, several books discussing religion, and one novel. He edited hundreds of anthologies concerning numerous literary and philosophical figures for the Chelsea House publishing firm. Bloom's books have been translated into more than 40 languages. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995.
Bloom was a defender of the traditional Western canon at a time when literature departments were focusing on what he derided as the "school of resentment" (multiculturalists, feminists, Marxists, and others). He was educated at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and Cornell University.

Reviews

[Destiny Varnado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always been captivated by Poe’s tales, drawn to their haunting beauty and shadowy depths. His stories feel like secret chambers, dark corridors filled with whispered secrets and chilling revelations. There’s something profoundly alluring about the way he explores the human psyche, revealing our obsession with mortality, madness, and the unknown. Poe’s mastery lies in weaving beauty from darkness, turning despair into art, inspiring a dark academia aesthetic that celebrates the mysterious, the Gothic, and the melancholic. His tales evoke a sense of intellectual curiosity intertwined with a gothic aesthetic, fueling a love for the macabre with a poetic elegance that’s both haunting and captivating. For me, his stories are a reminder that even in darkness, there’s a strange sort of beauty an invitation to peer into the shadows and find something profoundly human.