The Western Canon

The Books and School of the Ages

By: Harold Bloom

Narrated by: James Armstrong

Harold Bloom explores our Western literary tradition by concentrating on the works of twenty-six authors central to the Canon. He argues against ideology in literary criticism; he laments the loss of intellectual and aesthetic standards; he deplores multiculturalism, Marxism, feminism, neoconservatism, Afrocentrism, and the New Historicism.

Insisting instead upon "the autonomy of aesthetic," Bloom places Shakespeare at the center of the Western Canon. Shakespeare has become the touchstone for all writers who come before and after him, whether playwrights, poets, or storytellers. In the creation of character, Bloom maintains, Shakespeare has no true precursor and has left no one after him untouched. Milton, Samuel Johnson, Goethe, Ibsen, Joyce, and Beckett were all indebted to him; Tolstoy and Freud rebelled against him; and while Dante, Wordsworth, Austen, Dickens, Whitman, Dickinson, Proust, and the modern Hispanic and Portuguese writers Borges, Neruda, and Pessoa are exquisite examples of how canonical writing is born of an originality fused with tradition.

©1994 by Harold Bloom (P)1997 by Blackstone Audiobooks

The pronunciation of "Borges" is wrong!

What made the experience of listening to The Western Canon the most enjoyable?

The book is too long for me. Having it on audio makes it feel like attending a series of lectures, and it's much easier.

Bloom's True Masterpiece Performed Better Than He

If you could sum up The Western Canon in three words, what would they be?

The Western Canon is Bloom at his natural bent, doing what he was meant to do: defend great literature from the poo poo pseudo-popes of political poppycock.

What about James Armstrong’s performance did you like?

Armstrong does a good enough job, mainly in sounding as we might imagine Bloom to actually sound (though Bloom's own actual reading voice is cracking and brittle in comparison).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Bloom made me see my own perceptions of canonical authors in light of his own long savoring of them, which is exactly the best one could ever get from Bloom.

Any additional comments?

Bloom DESTROYS Freud, which is a special bonus.

For every student and teacher of literature

This book helps reinforce why the classics are classic and why this generation needs to pass this wisdom to the next.

Outstanding--a Giant Education

Beautifully written, beautifully read. If you want an introduction to the classics of Western literature, and a deeper understanding of what makes them classic look no further. This is it.

Audible Performance only

This review reflects only the audible performance, and not the book per se (I listened to, and read, the book simultaneously).

First, there are numerous instances of pronunciation that amount to fingernails on a chalkboard (FooKALT, DareEEDuh, YEETS) to name a few. Second, there are several instances of splicing where what appears to be recordings from different sessions are merged together with great differences in sound quality and volume. Third, there is virtually no pause between chapters; there is greater pause between some sentences than the chapters themselves. These issues are responsible for my rating of three stars from a performance perspective. The text itself is a typically brilliant example of Bloom's genius (even if a bit loquacious).

interesting, but....

You won't get much out of this if you haven't read the specific books he talks about. He makes no effort to provide an overview before discussing each work. After I while, I just skipped over chapters about works I hadn't read. The sound editing is a little poor in places.

All is Compared to Shakespeare

I first came across this book in my first year of college, a required purchase for a general literature course. Interesting thing was: we never looked inside. I imagine the reasoning behind this was the fact that my college course was not one on Shakespeare’s influence. As amazing an author that Shakespeare was, he is Harold Bloom’s god, and all works and characters discussed herein must be compared to the greatest Shakespearean characters: mainly Hamlet, Iago, Othello, King Lear, and Falstaff. About halfway through the book I noticed that there were not two consecutive pages without comparison to Shakespeare or one of his characters. At first, this bothered me; but, after coming to realize that everyone would be compared, I let it go and enjoyed it.

Also, one might consider it important that you read the books Bloom speaks of before reading this one. There are major spoilers as he breaks down at least one book or poem by each author and, if you’ve not read them, then you’ll be told nearly every intricate part.

James Armstrong’s reading of the book was alright. It took him awhile to begin to read excerpts in a different voice so that, if I had not been reading along, I probably would not have known that someone was being quoted. About a third of the way in, he began to speak as various characters (sometimes taking on accents) and it helped very much. One strange thing was that the ends of chapters were usually in the middle of a track. Also, there was a distinct difference in sound between the beginning of a track and the end, as if it started out muffled and static, but became better.

All in all, the book was great, and I very much look forward to reading and rereading the books discussed in this book. I highly suggest buying the book, though, because there are four appendixes where Bloom lists the most influential authors of their times (along with their most inspiring works.) I have begun a collection of these books and, even if they are not mentioned in the book but just listed in an appendix, they are wonderful.

A true master of literature

This is a wonderful book. Bloom is terrific except that overdoes his complaints about diversity and technology. For lovers of literature the canon continues to be important.

zzzz

a book that states its case clearly and sets out to map the milestones of an entire culture. i have to admit, i found it heavy going at 22 hours but if you're less shallow than me and if you want to know why certain authors have been held as worthy of praise, check this one out.

The Western Canon by Harold Bloom

If you could sum up The Western Canon in three words, what would they be?

Wise, erudite, enlightening.

What other book might you compare The Western Canon to and why?

The Western Canon is unlike any other book I've read. However, although they are very different, if you liked David Denby's Great Books, you'll like The Western Canon.

Would you be willing to try another one of James Armstrong’s performances?

No. The man is an ignoramus. He mispronounces the names of many of the greatest writers and philosophers of the western tradition. He clearly has never heard of Jorge Luis Borges, Foucault, Nietzsche, and many others, and it shows in his reading.