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How to Read and Why - Harold Bloom
How to Read and Why
by: (author)
3.12 85
Information is endlessly available to us; where shall wisdom be found?" is the crucial question with which renowned literary critic Harold Bloom begins this impassioned book on the pleasures and benefits of reading well. For more than forty years, Bloom has transformed college students into... show more
Information is endlessly available to us; where shall wisdom be found?" is the crucial question with which renowned literary critic Harold Bloom begins this impassioned book on the pleasures and benefits of reading well. For more than forty years, Bloom has transformed college students into lifelong readers with his unrivaled love for literature. Now, at a time when faster and easier electronic media threatens to eclipse the practice of reading, 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. His ultimate faith in the restorative power of literature resonates on every page of this infinitely rewarding and important book.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780684859071 (0684859076)
ASIN: 684859076
Publisher: Scribner
Pages no: 288
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
tuirgin
tuirgin rated it
3.0 How to Read and Why
This book is not geared toward the academic, rather it is a popular book on reading quality literature. What this means is that Bloom does not spend time discussing the theory and techniques of literary scholarship and criticism, but instead models a very personal, pleasurable style of attentive rea...
Never Read Passively
Never Read Passively rated it
4.0 How to Read and Why
A lot of why I liked this book is because it gave me a few books to add to my queue. This is my first exposure to Bloom and my impression is that he's sort of a charming character. He's erudite and opinionated without being condescending or abrasive. I found his passion for books and literature cont...
Boxes of Paper
Boxes of Paper rated it
3.0 How to Read and Why
I am always eager to read a book that purports to encourage reading within the general population. Bloom certain encourages reading, but his text How to Read and Why assumes that the reader is already well versed in the classics. Plots of classic novels and plays are referred to in shorthand; Bloom ...
Kaethe
Kaethe rated it
Bloom is a big believer in the idea of the canon as a dead-white male institution. Because a shared culture is valuable (I agree with him there) he seems to think that it must be the shared culture of dead white Northern Europeans in the US. I think most of us have had more than enough of that cul...
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