How to read and why
by Harold Bloom · first published 2000
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3HN commenters
2019–2021first – last mentioned
33% recommend67% neutral
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, i
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Those looking for a deeper dive might consider Harold Bloom's "How to Read and Why", for literature; and Mortimer J. Adler's "How to Read a Book", for non-fiction.
on “How to gain more from your reading” ↗Harold Bloom in "How to Read and Why" cautions us against bullshit thinking (cant) Bloom quotes Samuel Johnson pg 23: “My dear friend, clear your mind of cant [excessive thought]. You may talk as other people do: you may say to a man,…
on “Bullshit ability as an honest signal of intelligence” ↗If I were to read one of his books as a guide the best bits of the canon to read, which book should I read? The main options appear to be 'Genius', 'The Western Canon' and 'How to read and why'. I'd like to read more, and a good guide to Western literature might be helpful.
on “Harold Bloom Has Died” ↗