Harold Bloom

Harold Bloom
Name	Harold Bloom
Caption	Bloom in 2014
Birth date	11 July 1930
Birth place	New York City, U.S.
Death date	14 October 2019
Death place	New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Literary critic, professor
Education	Cornell University (BA), Yale University (PhD), Pembroke College, Cambridge
Spouse	Jeanne Gould, 1958

Harold Bloom was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. A prolific and often controversial figure, he championed the concept of the Western literary canon and developed influential theories of poetic influence and literary creativity. His career spanned over six decades, during which he authored more than forty books, including seminal works of criticism and best-selling anthologies.

Early life and education

Born in the East Bronx to a family of Orthodox Jewish immigrants, he was raised in a Yiddish-speaking household. A precocious reader, he taught himself English and immersed himself in the New York Public Library, developing an early passion for the poetry of Hart Crane and William Blake. He earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell University, where he studied under the critic M. H. Abrams, before completing his doctorate at Yale University in 1955. A subsequent period of study at Pembroke College, Cambridge further shaped his intellectual development.

Career and academic work

He began his long tenure at Yale University in 1955, eventually attaining the prestigious position of Sterling Professor of Humanities. He also served as a visiting professor at New York University and was a co-founder of the Chelsea House publishing company's literary criticism series. Throughout his career, he was a formidable and often polemical presence in academic debates, famously opposing the rise of deconstruction, feminist theory, and Marxist criticism, which he collectively termed the "School of Resentment." His teaching and mentorship influenced generations of scholars and writers.

Literary theory and criticism

His critical framework is most defined by his theory of the "anxiety of influence," articulated in his 1973 book of the same name. This Freudian-inspired model posits that "strong" poets engage in a creative misreading or "misprision" of their powerful precursors, such as John Milton or William Shakespeare, in a psychological struggle for originality. He later expanded this into a theory of "agon," or creative contest. He was a staunch defender of aestheticism and the autonomy of the literary imagination, arguing for the primacy of authors like Shakespeare, whom he called the "inventor of the human," in the Western tradition.

Major works and publications

His prolific output includes foundational critical texts and popular anthologies. Key theoretical works are The Anxiety of Influence (1973) and A Map of Misreading (1975). His canon-defining studies include The Western Canon (1994) and major volumes on Shakespeare, such as Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998). He also edited the influential Chelsea House series of critical studies and best-selling anthologies like The Best Poems of the English Language and Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds.

Influence and legacy

He remains one of the most prominent and widely read literary critics of the 20th century, though his work sparked significant debate. His advocacy for the canon and his theories of influence profoundly impacted the study of Romantic poetry, particularly the works of William Blake, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Wallace Stevens. While criticized by proponents of critical theory and cultural studies, his emphasis on aesthetic mastery and individual genius resonated with a broad public audience and many fellow writers, including John Ashbery and A. S. Byatt. His vast body of criticism continues to be a central reference point in literary studies.

Personal life and death

He married Jeanne Gould in 1958, and the couple had two children. He lived for many years in New Haven, Connecticut, near the Yale University campus. In his later years, he suffered from health issues but remained a prolific writer and commentator almost until his death. He died at a hospital in New Haven, Connecticut on October 14, 2019. His personal library, a vast collection reflecting his lifelong engagement with literature, was bequeathed to New York University.

Category:American literary critics Category:Yale University faculty Category:1930 births Category:2019 deaths