Literary critics -- or is Bloom a shill?

Factual Questions
1

My copy of the Stephen King edition of Harold Bloom’s “Modern Critical Views” came a couple of days ago.

I was surprised to see that King has joined this elite company, but apparently it’s a 300-pound gorilla thing – the critics don’t like him, but have decided that he can’t be ignored.

Bloom says in his intro “the triumph of the genial King is a large emblem of the failures of American education.” And “King will be remembered as a sociological phenomenon, an image of the death of the Literate Reader.”

So if you don’t like his books and you think his prose is crap, why did you publish this book? Do I hear the sound of coins tinkling somewhere? Maybe you know that something with King’s name on it is going to sell more than say, Sinclair Lewis or Thomas Hardy?

This walks, talks and acts like a sell-out.

This book is going to end up on university bookshelves, theses are going to be written, and Mr. Bloom, we’re just gonna get dumber and dumber. And you helped. NA na na NA na!

2

Screw book critics…

Is there a film critic good enough to be a successor to James Agee?

We gladly devour those who would subdue us.

3

Shame on you, Alphagene.

The answer can be found (if the advertisement doesn’t change) in the top left-hand corner of this page: Jonathan Rosenbaum.
You’ve got to give him credit in that he writes intelligent criticisms, and he, unlike many other critics, realizes that there are movies produced outside the United States.

AuntiePam: Harold Bloom has to make a living like all the other poor schmoes out there. Maybe with the S. King money he can write a worthwhile book.