How to Read and Why
Ratings4
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings4
Average rating3.5
Bloom draws on his experience as critic, teacher, and prolific reader to plumb the great books for their sustaining wisdom. Shedding all polemic, Bloom addresses the solitary reader, who, he urges, should read for the purest of all reasons: to discover and augment the self. Always dazzling in his ability to draw connections between texts across continents and centuries, Bloom instructs readers in how to immerse themselves in the different literary forms. Bloom not only provides illuminating guidance on how to read a text but also illustrates what such reading can bring -- aesthetic pleasure, increased individuality and self-knowledge, and the lifetime companionship of the most engaging and complex literary characters. -- From publisher's description.
Reviews with the most likes.
Great book, a superb shot in the arm for people getting sluggish on reading, and pretty easy to put down and pick up. Been reading this on my lunch break at work, and it's super fun to read Bloom I think because his obsessive enjoyment of literature is pretty infectious. I also got this primarily to help me comprehend and appreciate poetry more and Bloom gives some great tips and great directions to go to for poetry (John Muir, take a hike ......heh). Also gave me some great new recommendations, never been more stoked to read Blood Meridian, and never knew about Invisible Man and Song of Solomon, which both sound fantastic. Pretty much every piece of literature he talks about in here I want to read. Anyway, fun book!
I came across an interview with Harold Bloom, made at the time he published "How to Read and Why" - I liked what he had to say and thought his book might prove to be the catalyst I needed to make a more serious study of literature. The book promises to help the student commence this journey. I half expected to abandon it as I'm won't to do with 'serious books' especially when on 'dry subjects' - however, this proved to be false on both counts. I think the greatest lesson is that good literature teaches you how to read good literature and the why is to gain a better understanding of ourselves. It gives us an opportunity to view life through a different lens and just maybe pop some world view bubbles. Hopefully, this does prove to be as helpful as it seems.
