King Arthur

by Harold Bloom (Editor)

A critical examination of the character of King Arthur as found in the works of Sir Thomas Malory and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth a scan, even if, like me, you haven't yet finished the Arthurian tales on which these literary criticisms are based. A few chapters especially interesting, such as the one on the historical Arthur, others on Tennyson's Idylls of the King, and another on other modern retellings of the Arthur legend, such as my childhood's beloved Mary Stewart Crystal Cave trilogy.