Bloom’s Guides - The Member of the Wedding

Sep 27, 2026

Bloom’s Guides: The Member of the Wedding, edited and introduced by Harold Bloom, presents critical and literary resources for Carson McCullers’ novel. The volume includes a biographical sketch, a section tracing the story’s origins, a list of characters, and a full summary and analysis. It further offers critical views by multiple scholars, discussing loneliness, Gothic elements, identity, coming-of-age, and related motifs and settings, followed by an annotated bibliography, contributors, acknowledgments, and an index.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages128

Reading Time3 h 17 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Biographical Sketch

The Story Behind the Story

List of Characters

Summary and Analysis

Critical Views

Works by Carson McCullers

Annotated Bibliography

Contributors

Acknowledgments

Index

Bloom’s GUIDES Carson McCullers’ The Member of the Wedding CURRENTLY AVAILABLE 1984 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn All the Pretty Horses Beloved Brave New World The Chosen The Crucible Cry, the Beloved Country Death of a Salesman The Grapes of Wrath Great Expectations Hamlet The Handmaid’s Tale The House on Mango Street I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings The Iliad Lord of the Flies Macbeth Maggie: A Girl of the Streets The Member of the Wedding Pride and Prejudice Ragtime Romeo and Juliet The Scarlet Letter Snow Falling on Cedars A Streetcar Named Desire The Things They Carried To Kill a Mockingbird Bloom’s GUIDES Carson McCullers’The Member of the Wedding Edited & with an Introduction by Harold Bloom Bloom’s Guides: The Member of the Wedding Copyright © 2005 by Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2005 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 ISBN-10: 0-7910-8172-9 ISBN-13: 978-0-7910-8172-3 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Carson McCullers’The member of the wedding / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom. [p. cm](p. cm).—(Bloom’s guides) ISBN 0-7910-8172-9 (alk. paper) 1. McCullers, Carson, 1917–1967. Member of the wedding. I. Bloom, Harold. II. Series. PS3525 .A1772M53 2004 813'. 52—dc22 2004014458 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at [http://www.chelseahouse.com](http://www.chelseahouse.com) Contributing editor: Cathy Schlund-Vials Cover design by Takeshi Takahashi Printed in the United States of America Bang EJB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyrighted material and secure copyright permission. Articles appearing in this volume generally appear much as they did in their original publication with little to no editorial changes. Those interested in locating the original source will find bibliographic information in the bibliography and acknowledgments sections of this volume. Introduction 7 Biographical Sketch 9 The Story Behind the Story 15 List of Characters 17 Summary and Analysis 21 Critical Views 63 George Dangerfield on the Thematic Structure and the Problem of Loneliness 63 Robert S. Phillips on the Gothic Elements 66 Richard M. Cook on Identity and Coming-of-Age 70 Margaret B. McDowell on the Relationship Between Berenice and Frankie 75 Louise Westling on the Tomboy Figure and the Motif of “Unfinished-ness” 79 Kenneth D. Chamlee on the Function of the Café Setting in the Development of Character 85 Virginia Spencer Carr on the Biographical and Literary Contexts 89 Thadious M. Davis on The Characterization(s) of Berenice in Two Versions of the novel 99 Tony Jason Stafford on the Motif of Sight in the Play Version 101 Sarah Gleeson-White on the Presence and Function of Masquerade 108 Works by Carson McCullers 111 Annotated Bibliography 112 Contributors 117 Acknowledgments 122 Index 124 Introduction HAROLD BLOOM I met Carson McCullers two or three times during the late Fifties and early Sixties. More than forty years later, I still retain a visual memory of her eyes, which seemed almost too vivid, large, and young in a countenance that reflected many psychic and physical sufferings. I have just finished a rereading of her four major fictive works: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Reflections

FAQs

What does the book provide for readers of The Member of the Wedding?

It provides an introduction, biographical context, the story behind the story, character information, and a structured summary and analysis.

Which critical themes are discussed in the Critical Views section?

The scholarship addresses loneliness, Gothic elements, identity and coming-of-age, relationships between key characters, the tomboy figure and “unfinished-ness,” and functions of settings and motifs such as the café and masquerade.

What reference materials are included beyond the main analysis?

The volume includes an annotated bibliography, acknowledgments, contributor information, and an index, helping readers locate sources and further commentary.

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Sophia Brooks