Gatsby

by Harold Bloom

Gathers critical essays concerning the title character in Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," and his relationship to the novel's major themes

211 pages, Library Binding

First published March 1, 1989

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

[CR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing collection of essays. Harold Bloom's introduction is a top-notch work in itself.

[Claire Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part about the book was that it contained the analyses of many authors which allowed me to be informed different perspectives of the book. Overall, the analyses were all extremely interesting and I was able to interpret "The Great Gatsby" in a much more deeper context through analysis of Fitzgerald's other works, sentence structures, connotations, and relationships to other contemporary novels.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of these essays I enjoyed and some were better than others. I read it at the same time I read The Great Gatsby and I thought it might give me more to say at book group when we discussed Gatsby. That actually might have backfired, though. Perhaps I came off as a bit pretentious and a know-it-all when I was just excited to be learning something new.