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).