Harold Bloom
American literary critic whose The Anxiety of Influence proposed that poets struggle against their predecessors in a competitive, Oedipal relationship. The Western Canon controversially argued for the primacy of aesthetic excellence. He was the most prominent and controversial defender of the literary canon in the culture wars.
Works
- The Anxiety of InfluenceTheory that poets achieve greatness by creatively responding to precursor poets
- The Western CanonArgues Western literature rests on canonical works by Shakespeare, Dante and Homer
- Shakespeare: The Invention of the HumanExtended meditation on Shakespeare's unprecedented invention of human character
- How to Read and WhyGuide to appreciating literature and why certain books repay deep reading
- GeniusEssays examining creativity, originality and the nature of genius across disciplines