In the following essay, McClintock gives examples of the influences of psychologist James Hillman and poet John Keats on Harrison's writing.

In the following interview, Harrison and Bednarik discuss topics such as Harrison's poetry, his love of nature, and his philosophical outlook on life.

In the following essay, Gilligan discusses Harrison's subtle and overt uses of mythology in Warlock.

In the following excerpt, Roberson examines the themes and characters of Legends of the Fall.

In the following interview, Harrison discusses his writing career and the major themes and characters of his work.

In the following interview, Smith delves into Harrison's past to discuss his published works and screenplays.

Keith Opdahl is an American critic and author. In the following review of Legends of the Fall, he praises stylistic aspects of Harrison's novellas but challenges his depiction of the plight of the American male.

Agee is an American novelist and critic. In the following essay, he offers a laudatory review of Julip, in particular commending the characterization and narrative voice in the three novellas.

In the following review, Agee describes the three novellas contained in Julip and the prevalent themes that the stories share.

In the following review, Jones-Davis praises Harrison's novel Dalva for being a compassionate story with well-drawn characters.

In the following review, Coates examines the plots, characters, and themes of The Woman Lit by Fireflies.

It's as though William Butler Yeats had written a scenario for Sam Peckinpah. Or as though James Dickey had done a Western—though Dickey wraps the violence in Deliverance in a context that attempts to explain and redeem it, while Jim Harrison gives the pure, raw, macho daydream. Harrison's three long stories [in Legends of the Fall] are full of silent men and lovely women who desire to be ravaged. The bad guys are nightmare figures with names like "Slats" who just won�...

Freeman is an American novelist and critic. In the following essay, she provides a positive assessment of The Woman Lit by Fireflies.

In the following laudatory review, Grinnell provides a thematic analysis of Legends of the Fall.

In the following favorable review of Dalva, Kakutani compliments Harrison's narrative abilities.

In the following mixed review of the three novellas comprising Julip, Cheuse praises the engaging qualities of "Julip" and "The Seven-Ounce Man" but deems "The Beige Dolorosa" disappointing.

In the following favorable review of The Woman Lit by Fireflies, Houston explores stylistic and thematic aspects of the three novellas.

Bourjaily is an American novelist and critic. In the following review of Legends of the Fall, he notes the effective manner in which Harrison establishes "credibility" in creating a sense of epic legend within the short story format.

Cherry is an American poet, fiction writer, and essayist. In the following, she favorably reviews Julip, characterizing the three novellas in the collection as a triptych whose "motifs and references recur, patterning a book as artistically whole as it is emotionally revivifying. "

In the following review, Kakutani offers a thematic analysis of the three novellas comprising The Woman Lit by Fireflies.

In the following review, Cherry finds that the novellas contained in Julip, are beautifully written and fit well together as a collection.

In the following review, Treadwell mentions that although Warlock is somewhat lacking in plot, it is ambitious and is salvaged by Harrison's incredible wit.

In the following review, Drabelle expresses disappointment in Sundog, asserting that Harrison's new style of story telling lacks the honesty of his earlier style.

In the following review, Locklin praises Harrison's collection of novellas Julip, giving special praise to the novella entitled “The Beige Dolorosa.”

In the following review, Harrison analyzes the prevalent themes of sex, wildlife, nature, and escapism in Julip.

In the following review, Oser describes his mixed feelings about Harrison's The Shape of the Journey: New and Collected Poems. While he admires Harrison's wit and “warts and all” mentality, he finds fault with Harrison's technique and tendency to rant.

In the following review, Scannell presents a negative assessment of Legends of the Fall.

In the following review, Scannell finds Legends of the Fall to be a horribly written book.

In "Legends of the Fall," the title piece and best of Jim Harrison's collection of three novellas—and it seems fair to rank them good, better and best—the usual way of combining intensity and breadth is discarded with engaging recklessness. In place of a single point of view and a restriction of time, place, number of scenes and characters, Mr. Harrison delivers, in 87 pages, a complete two-generation family saga…. The opening line establishes both the voice and the...

Below, Rozen offers a mixed review of The Woman Lit by Fireflies.

In the following review, Veale favorably reviews The Shape of the Journey: New and Collected Poems, stating that Harrison's poetry is graceful and in tune with nature.

In the following excerpt, Deveson questions the hero-worshipping aspects contained in Sundog.

[A couple of years ago] Letters to Yesinin, a minor masterpiece, was hardly noticed; it was minor because its mood was so thoroughly bleak that probably it could appeal to only a minor segment of sensibility. But it was magnificently written, and I hope somehow it will still find its proper audience. Harrison's new book, Returning to Earth, seems not quite so successful—perhaps because it is more low-keyed—but still notable. It is a loose sequence of poems and aperçus in which th...

A midlife crisis, as in Oedipus's case, may be distressing; on the other hand, one may discover that an adolescent trauma has simply been delayed several decades. Take, for example, Joseph, the school teaching hero of Jim Harrison's novel of rural Michigan, "Farmer." Joseph has been teaching 20 years in one of those small farming towns where one's private life and the talk of the town tend to be the same. Joseph has also been courting fellow teacher Rosealee since she was ...

[Legends of the Fall] is a trilogy of tough, masculine stories reminiscent of Hemingway in terseness of style, sardonic philosophy, and even in heroes who are not too far removed from the much over-used and abused "grace-under pressure" code…. These are three good stories each with a neat epilogue that adds a sense of completeness to the story, each involving fascinatingly rare characters whose singlemindedness, if not their particular brand of grace under pressure, is to be admired.