Usually I find Bloom's books very helpful in understanding difficult works and authors. However, in this collection, all the essays are geared toward more serious scholars of Eliot's works, rather than toward the general reader looking for more information. Yes, the editor includes some standard and well known essays about Eliot by the likes of Hugh Kenner, Northrop Frye, Richard Ellmann (Joyce's biographer) and some modern critics, but there is nothing that holds these essays together. It would have been better to organize the essays around particular works -- instead, we get a brief look at Ash Wednesday, a bit on the Wasteland, some other random poems, you get the idea. Many of these essays are outdated by now. If you are a graduate student writing your thesis on Eliot, these essays may be useful, but for the general high school student or adult who justs wants some help with understanding Eliot, try a more user-friendly series like the Twayne's Masterworks, or Norton Critical Editions.

I found that the Death Of a Salesman is one of the most boring plays that i have ever read. Maybe its a piece of art to all those who study literature, but to myself, all my peers and to those who studied it in Year 11 english like i did, think that it is the most boring play that i have ever come across. It really has nothin to do with lifestyles in the 90's, and therefore will not interest those like myself. The play is stupid and confusing, and iam sorry if i have offended anyone who thinks that this is a piece of art. But iam only saying what i think, and iam free to do so.

In agreement with the submission from a reader in the USA, I too found with book very insightful on the makeup of Willy Lomans pyschiatric state of mind. Most mandatory highschool books or plays follow a theme not relevant to a teenager. As for this play, many teens can relate to Willy's state of mind in depression, confusion, or even the relationship with his "significant other" (Linda or 'the woman'). Arthur Miller wrote this play from a personal aspect which makes this play seem more believable then some of William Shakespeares. A great play for an OAC student or Grade 12 to study. Short in length and packed with english aspects to critique.

Disregard the views of the ignoramus who has never heard of Death of a Salesman. This work studies the psyche of one of the most fascinating characters created in drama. I know that this work has provided much insight into the motivations of Willy Loman. I recommend this read to anyone interested in delving into the psychological makeup of Willy.

I read this book out of curiousity. Harold Bloom is undoubtedly one of the great literary critics of recent times--what would his own fiction read like?

Ugh. This book is cast in the mythological prose of a Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast. This is low quality fantasy. The real star of the book is Bloom's eccentric philosophy of Gnosticism and no thought at all is given to characterization or euphony of language. I think Bloom is trying to write a new testament here, not a novel. He fails. This is an embarrassing piece of work.

Do try his criticism, though. When Bloom is on his home court, he's engaging.

Utter nonsense, lacking any shade of imagination!

Great read and thought bending proposition.

If literacy is dead, Bloom killed it. Bloom never understood the simple fact that since the Vulgate edition of the Bible, it has been the popular culture that animates literature; and it is the popular genres--mystery, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and so on that energize it. Bloom wants all literature to be the mundane, vapid tomes of the academy. This is the kind of pseudo-intellectual claptrap that turns off even the most disciplined of young minds to literary pursuits. If Bloom doesn't get why King is a master storyteller, or why J. K. Rowling has everybody reading about Harry Potter, he's hopeless. Put him out to pasture. Don't waste your money on this book.

The most Overpriced compilation of outdated incoherent verbiage I've ever read, and the only redeeming quality of Blooms intro is it's brevity. I'm sure the other lesser writers in the Modern Writers series fair no better, although Blooms critical facility is better suited there.

Albeit expensive, this compilation of criticism is worth every penny solely because of Mr. Bloom's pessimistic assessment of what he calls the "King phenomenom."

(Not verbatim) Stephen King marks the death of the Literate Reader in America.

I reviewed Bloom's 1999 Research Guide on Welty, not this 1986 Critical Views on Welty.

The idea for this collection of excerpts is commendable, as an introduction to Welty for, perhaps, high school students; but a hardback at this price is too costly for that purpose, and the scholarship is too flawed for any use. Even a quick glance reveals (1) outdated information about the Welty scholars quoted and (2) errors in the bibliography. Ruth VandeKieft (not "Kieft") is deceased, Pollack is not at Sweetbriar, Prenshaw is no longer at Southern Mississippi, nor I at Oral Roberts University. Barbara Fialkowski did not write A Still Moment but, rather, one essay in it. This collection of excerpts looks as if it were put together quickly not by Bloom, who should know better, but by someone who does not know Welty or Welty criticism. Although my own book, excerpted in the text, is not listed in "Books About Welty," ten that are listed are general works I consulted but that are not themselves about Welty at all (including Frank, Kestner, Frye, Kayser, Fleenor, Gilligan, Weisenfarth). If the editor had consulted the excerpted authors, this could have been a better book.

There are a lot of poems in here but you look far and wide for something really good. I mean, sure, there are the people we already knew were good -- C.K. Williams, Eavan Boland, Frank O'Hara and et cetera et cetera -- but with a book this big you want a few surprises, you want to find some new stuff you didn't know about before. And for me, that didn't really happen. Philip Larkin's "Aubade" is maybe the best poem here -- and maybe the best poem about death ever written -- though what it's doing in a book of AMERICAN poetry I can't figure out (I guess it was just too good to exclude). They put Seamus Heaney in, too, which makes me wonder why they left out Paul Muldoon -- he's been living in New Jersey for years now, and writes poems as good as anything in here (and better than 99% of it). Go to your local bookstore and look through this monster -- maybe you'll have better luck than me, and find something thrilling -- but don't buy it.

One of the least notable attempts to capitalize on...100th anniversary>

While studying John Steinbeck I came across this book and was glad to find a book that treats "In Doubious Battle", "Of Mice and Men", and "The Grapes of Wrath" together in one volume. I was, however, totally disappointed. The book consists of several abstracts of essays that are available elsewhere in full. The selection of essays does not seem to make any sense and the essays are not commented. The aim of author seems to be to make money out of other people's essays. If you want to learn something about John Steinbeck, do not buy this book! Look for essays elsewhere and look for other books. There are better ones!