Harold Bloom was an esteemed American literary critic and scholar, who made significant contributions to the field of literary studies. Born in 1930 in the Bronx, New York, Bloom grew up in a Jewish family and attended Cornell University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1951. Later, he went on to earn his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1955, with a dissertation on Romanticism.

Bloom’s early work focused on the works of Romantic poets such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Blake. He was also interested in the theory of literary influence and the concept of the anxiety of influence, which he described in a book by the same name in 1973. The book discussed how poets and authors struggled with the influence of their literary predecessors and worked to establish their own voice in the literary canon.

Bloom’s enduring legacy rests on his critical approach of literary evaluation called the Western canon. He argued that certain works of literature, from Homer’s “Iliad” to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” were of enduring value and should be studied and appreciated for generations to come. He believed that the Western canon was essential for establishing cultural literacy and understanding the complexity of the human experience.

However, Bloom’s ideas about the Western canon were not without controversy. Critics have accused him of being elitist and exclusionary, with his focus on the literary traditions of Europe and America, often overlooking the works of women, ethnic minorities, and non-Western cultures.

Bloom authored more than 40 books, including “The Anxiety of Influence,” “Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human,” and “The Western Canon.” He also served as a professor of humanities at Yale University for more than four decades, where he taught courses on Shakespeare, Romantic poetry, and the Bible as literature.

Bloom’s impact on literary studies is undeniable, inspiring generations of scholars and writers to think critically about the canon of literature and the complex relationship between influence and originality. He was a controversial figure who sparked debates and discussions about the role of literature in society, the value of the Western canon, and the challenges of establishing cultural literacy in a rapidly changing world.

Despite his passing in 2019, Bloom’s legacy lives on, inspiring future generations of literary scholars and enriching our understanding and appreciation of the literary canon. His contributions to literary studies will continue to be recognized and celebrated, even as we grapple with the evolving complexities of a changing literary landscape.

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