A personal and opinionated book on the Canon

My main motivation for writing this review is my disappointment in the other reviews here on Audible so far. There are many much better reviews of this very book on amazon.com, and I would urge you to check them out before being discouraged from picking up Bloom's excellent book.

Most of the reviews here so far either complains about the narration or complains about Bloom's personality and choice of books. Bloom's personality and choice of books has been discussed to death in many other reviews (for example the ones on amazon), so I will mainly focus on the narration.

Luckily, the task of defending the narrator, which I think does an excellent job, is eased through the availability of the audio-preview on this page. Be sure to check it out. The sound quality of the actual download is also somewhat better than the preview. Amongst the complaints that are raised is that the narrator does not emulate, say, the French pronunciation of a French name. This seems petty, and perhaps some of the very same people would complain that the narrator was snobbish if he, say, switched to an upper-class Parisien pronunciation of Foucault. Not only does the narrator manage to read a difficult and almost baroque text in a natural way, he also manages to maintain the calmness, humor and humanity that Bloom's text so beautifully contains. In fact, when I read Bloom's other works, I can still almost hear James Armstrong's voice as I read. Bloom's personality has become forever mixed with Armostrong's interpretation of him.

Amongst the reviews here on Audible, the main attack on Bloom's personality and choice of books is raised by Jerry from Topeka. His rhetoric is that of the rebel. However, other than his supposed authority as a college graduate and having read Ulyesses (not particularly strong arguments), he does not offer any good reason for disliking the book as much as he seems to be doing. His stabs seems to be applicable to any opinionated text on the western canon written by someone famous. It seems that Jerry would rather read a boring and distanced academic treatise on the history of literature, but instead got a charmingly grumpy old man's advice to the younger generation. Bloom has summarized his best findings and perspectives from a lifetime of serious reading and interpretation. It is impossible to have time to read everything, so Bloom's advice is much appreciated. Perhaps the most interesting part of Jerry's review is to point out that not all agree with Bloom. Go figure. Bloom has a very personal and esoteric reading style, and is quite the character. Bloom in no way tries to hide his quite literally religious relationship to Shakespeare, and if that seems annoying, this is not the book for you. Bloom's strangeness is so obvious that I do not think anyone is at risk of being seduced by the devil through reading this book, even if you do not have a PhD in literature.

That being said, this is obviously not an easy book, and Bloom actually expects you to sit down and read (or listen through) Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante, etc. He motivates why you should use your time on this, and gives some indication on his way of reading some of the master works in the canon. If it is very unlikely that you sit down and Milton's quite difficult, but very rewarding Paradise Lost, this book is not for you. An introduction to literature critique will also be highly recommended, and for example The Teaching Company's course “From Plato to Post-modernism: Understanding the Essence of Literature and the Role of the Author” by Louis Markos would be a very helpful introduction to the subject.

53 people found this helpful

The sound quality is horrible.

The sound quality is really bad. The book focuses too heavily on defending Shakespeare from cultural studies. If you are reading this book chances are you share the sentiment but will learn very little new information. Harold Bloom says too little with too many words.

8 people found this helpful

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.

5 people found this helpful

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.

5 people found this helpful

They ought to re-record it

My critique pertains solely to the recording itself. The sound quality is acceptable, but sounds as though you're listening to a slightly damaged analog audiotape. The narrator mispronounces a few names and in one instance mispronounces Foucault as "fo calt" and then roughly a half hour later pronounces it correctly. I found this particularly annoying. The content itself is interesting and, of course, well written, but I wish I'd bought the hard copy of the book. I wasted my money on this audiobook.

18 people found this helpful

Preserving the integrity of Western lit

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

The complexity of Bloom's argument.

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

Anatomy of Criticism, which advances a similar thesis.

Have you listened to any of James Armstrong’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Impossible

Any additional comments?

The narrator mispronounces several words.

3 people found this helpful

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.

6 people found this helpful

This one is tough sledding.

I have been an Audible listener for many years and I try to explore a diversity of literature and subject matter. However, this book was a challenge to the extent that I could not finish it. I tried twice. I can agree with Jerry from Topeka that Professor Bloom is pedantic, but that was not the worst thing for me. The worst thing was the narrator who was reading the pedantry of the writer. A better narrator might have improved the book, because the material is actually quite interesting. Instead, the droll pseudo-British accent of this narrator was too much for me. I recommend that you pass this one by. There is plenty of better material available on Audible.

16 people found this helpful

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.

2 people found this helpful

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.

3 people found this helpful