Western Canon

Western Canon Synopsis

The literary critic defends the importance of Western literature from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Kafka and Beckett in this acclaimed national bestseller.NOMINATED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDHarold BloomsThe Western Canonis more than a required reading listit is a ';heroically brave, formidably learned' defense of the great works of literature that comprise the traditional Western Canon. Infused with a love of learning, compelling in its arguments for a unifying written culture, it argues brilliantly against the politicization of literature and presents a guide to the essential writers ofthe western literary tradition (The New York Times Book Review).Placing William Shakespeare at the ';center of the canon,' Bloom examines the literary contributions of Dante Alighieri, John Milton, Jane Austen, Emily Dickenson, Leo Tolstoy, Sigmund Freud, James Joyce, Pablo Neruda, and many others. Blooms book, much-discussed and praised in publications as diverse asThe EconomistandEntertainment Weekly, offers a dazzling display of erudition and passion.';An impressive workdeeply, rightly passionate about the great books of the past.'Michel Dirda, The Washington Post Book World