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Edition 14 (1999) Winner
Harold Bloom
ハロルド・ブルーム
Harold Bloom
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1930-07-11 （New York City, U.S.）
- Died
- 2019-10-14 （New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.） age 89
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Yiddish, Hebrew
- Religion
- Judaism (raised Orthodox; later described interests in Jewish Gnostic ideas)
- Residence History
- The Bronx, New York → Ithaca, New York (Cornell University) → Cambridge, UK (Pembroke College, Cambridge) → New Haven, Connecticut (Yale University) → New York City (New York University affiliation)
Career
- Occupations
- Literary critic, Writer, Professor
- Active Years
- 1955-2019
- Affiliations
- Yale University, New York University (Berg Professor), Ralston College (founding patron)
- Memberships
- American Philosophical Society
- Influenced By
- M. H. Abrams, Northrop Frye, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sigmund Freud, Gershom Scholem (Kabbalah studies)
- Influenced
- Tony Kushner (playwright), Numerous contemporary critics and writers (through his criticism and anthologies), Joshua Cohen and others (praised by Bloom in later years)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell University | Undergraduate (Classics) | Classics | B.A. | 1947-1951 | United States |
| Pembroke College, Cambridge (University of Cambridge) | Fulbright Scholar | — | — | 1954-1955 | United Kingdom |
| Yale University | Graduate (English) | English | Ph.D. | 1951-1955 | United States |
Cornell University
Undergraduate (Classics)
/ Classics
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1947-1951
Year of Graduation:
1951
Country:
United States
Studied under M. H. Abrams
Pembroke College, Cambridge (University of Cambridge)
Fulbright Scholar
Period:
1954-1955
Year of Graduation:
1955
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied as a Fulbright Scholar
Yale University
Graduate (English)
/ English
Degree:
Ph.D.
Period:
1951-1955
Year of Graduation:
1955
Country:
United States
Earned Ph.D.; later long-term faculty member at Yale
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | MacArthur Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1995 | Elected to the American Philosophical Society | — | — | American Philosophical Society | 選出 |
MacArthur Fellowship
1985
Organization:
MacArthur Foundation
Result:
受賞
Elected to the American Philosophical Society
1995
Organization:
American Philosophical Society
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Anxiety of Influence
1973 Literary criticismA seminal work arguing that poets and writers struggle with the influence of predecessors and must 'misread' them to achieve originality; introduces concepts of revisionary ratios and the psychology of literary influence.
influencepsychology of creativitypoetic individuation
The Western Canon
1994 Literary studies / CriticismA survey of major European and American literary works since the 14th century, arguing for aesthetic reading and reclaiming literature from politicized criticism; presents Bloom's ideas on canonical value.
canon formationaesthetic valuecriteria of judgment
Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human
1998 Literary criticismAnalyzes Shakespeare's plays and argues that Shakespeare invented modern notions of 'the human'; examines characters across plays to explore human self-awareness.
character criticismuniversalityShakespeare studies
The Flight to Lucifer
1980 Novel (fantasy)Bloom's only work of fiction, conceived as a sequel to David Lindsay's A Voyage to Arcturus; a Gnostic-influenced fantasy novel exploring metaphysical themes.
Gnosticismfantasyreligious allegory
Bibliography
- Shelley's Mythmaking, 1959
- The Anxiety of Influence, 1973
- Kabbalah and Criticism, 1975
- The Flight to Lucifer, 1980
- The Western Canon, 1994
- Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, 1998
- How to Read and Why, 2000
- Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds, 2003
- Possessed by Memory: The Inward Light of Criticism, 2019
Adaptations
- Appearance in documentary: Apparition of the Eternal Church (2006)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- layered, personal essayistic styleerudite and rhetorical proseclose, annotated readings of classics, scripture, and poetry
- Recurring Motifs
- anxiety of influenceGnostic and religious motifsdefense of Shakespeare and the literary canon
Health
-
Open heart surgery2002Underwent open heart surgery in 2002; continued teaching and writing afterwards
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Back fracture2008Suffered a back fracture after a fall in 2008 but continued to teach
Legacy
Bloom was one of the most famous literary critics in the English-speaking world from the late 20th into the early 21st century. His defense of the literary canon and his 'anxiety of influence' theory had wide impact; his reception was polarised but he remained a widely known public intellectual.
Academic Societies
- American Philosophical Society
Archives
- Yale University Archives (holds related materials)
In Popular Culture
- Appeared in documentaries and media; influenced public debate on literature through reviews and essays
Quotes
-
I am nothing if not Jewish... I really am a product of Yiddish culture.
Source: Interview (2003) quoted in The Baltimore Sun (2003) -
Poetic influence, as I conceive it, is a variety of melancholy or the anxiety-principle.
Source: The Anxiety of Influence (conceptual formulation) (1973)
Trivia
- Taught in Yale's English Department from 1955 to 2019 and gave his final class four days before his death.
- Awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1985.
- Published more than 50 books, including over 40 works of literary criticism.