James Merrill and W.H. Auden: Homosexuality and Poetic Influence Book

This is an impressive work of literary criticism because Irwin does nothing but give his own reading and analyses. So much of literary criticism is arguing with other critics and that is why the books are weighed down with a massive amount of footnotes. Dissertation disease: where you have to have read everything an have accounted for any line of thought that preceded yours. Irwin just reads the books and discusses. In the latter chapters Irwin makes a good case that Fitzgerald was more influential that Hemingway (the critics choice) as a key influencer among those hard-boiled writers who aspired to more literary acclaim. And he does a great job comparing the novel vs screenplay versions of The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity. All in all this book is chock full of original criticism and others will have to argue with it in their dissertation books.