On The Research Of Harold Bloom’s Theory Of Canon Reading

Harold Bloom(1930-2019)is an influential theorist and critic in contemporary America.The appearance of the representative work Western Canon marks that Bloom has embarked on the road of defending the classics.In How to Read and Why to Read,he further shares his reading experience and principles,and calls on more readers to learn to read and join in the ranks of defending the canons.In recent years,with the translation and dissemination of Bloom’s works,the study of his canon ontology has been in-depth,and shows a trend of combining with the canon reading theory.However,most of the articles are limited to the interpretation of How to Read and Why to Read,and the focus is still on the analysis and introduction of Bloom’s canon ontology,ignoring Bloom’s original English book Where shall Wisdom be Found? The introduction of reading art in is not conducive to the overall grasp of Bloom’s canon reading theory.Based on the study of Bloom’s representative works,this paper makes a more in-depth and comprehensive discussion on his canon reading theory,so that readers can understand Bloom’s reading experience and art of reading more accurately,and then guide their own reading.This paper is divided into the following six parts:The introduction part mainly discusses the practical significance of the topic,summarizes the domestic and foreign research status,points out the problems and shortcomings of the current research,and introduces the research ideas,methods and innovations of this paper.The first chapter discusses the background and origin of Bloom’s canon reading theory.First of all,with the advent of the era of electronics and consumption,the traditional concept of literature is changing;Second,in the western world,where political and religious wars are frequent,literature has become a tool to spread ideology,and the aesthetic value of literature has been impacted.The times and cultural background are the direct reasons for Bloom to defend the canons.At the same time,Bloom’s the theory of canon reading and literary tradition have a deep origin.The establishment of classical ontology and canon reading theory is closely related to Bloom’s research on "influence".In the aspect of reading subject,Bloom uses Woolf’s view of "Common Readers" for reference,realizes the combination of elite and public positions,takes the realization of personal value as the purpose and pursuit of canon reading,emphasizes the aesthetic independence of canon reading,and widens the scope of his research.In terms of reading principles and reading experience,Bloom’s emphasis on the aesthetic value of canons and his concern for readers’ spiritual world benefit from Longinus’ discussion of sublimity.The second chapter introduces Bloom’s rethinking of the theory of "influence" in the process of defending the canon.Mainly from the complexity of the impact,the uniqueness of the impact,the purpose of the impact of three aspects are discussed in detail.The basic view is that the complexity of literary influence is reflected in the diversity of influence relations and defense forms;Bloom’s reinterpretation of "Anxiety" and "Misreading" to a great extent guarantees the unique value of influence theory;the purpose of influence is to find the way to realize the divinity of poets and readers through the study of literary influence: Bloom believes that poets achieve immortality by creating valuable classical poems,while readers’ divinity exists in the process of reading,which is complementary to the aesthetic experience of readingThe third chapter introduces the core principle of Bloom’s canon reading theory: the principle of aesthetic autonomy.The first section analyzes the inheritance of Bloom’s aesthetic autonomy to the tradition and the manifestation of the characteristics of the times,and points out that the aesthetic value of the works and the autonomy of the readers are the relationship of mutual achievements;the second section takes Shakespeare’s originality as an example to explain the process of Bloom’s quantification and concretion of the classical aesthetic value;The third section discusses the reader’s autonomy from the reality of aesthetic value.The author believes that Bloom’s principle of aesthetic autonomy,on the one hand,provides criteria for judging classics,on the other hand,realizes the concern for readers’ spiritual world,which is the core principle of classical reading theory.Chapter four carefully translate Bloom’s original English book Where shall Wisdom be Found? Based on his critical practice,this paper discusses the art of reading and the deep motivation of reading.First of all,Bloom criticizes Plato’s philosophy wisdom with camouflage color,summarizes the adverse effect of Plato’s philosophy wisdom on classic reading,points out that Plato’s philosophy purpose is to maintain the dignity and status of philosophers and philosophy wisdom,expose the essence of cultural research of " School of Resentment",and clear the obstacles for classic reading.Secondly,in the process of interpreting religious classics,Bloom pointed out that the formation of reading art and the attention of canon reading theory to readers’ inner self are all inspired by religious wisdom.Finally,through Nietzsche’s "Painful Poetics",Bloom combines religious wisdom with poetic wisdom,explains what is difficult fun,and guides readers to pursue and seek Nietzsche’s poetic wisdom in reading.In the conclusion part,the author makes a simple evaluation of Bloom’s canon reading theory.First of all,to a certain degree,in the canon reading theory,Bloom realizes the integration of elite and public positions,and provides a way for human beings to get rid of the fetters of rationality and realize the freedom of mind.Second,although the ideal readers and ideal reading process that bloom pursues are hard to realize,his firm belief in defending canons and the enrichment of theory inject new vitality into literary research,and contribute a reference for people all over the world to safeguard the traditional canon works.Finally,Bloom developed his love of reading into the art of reading,and shared it with readers,which had a profound impact on readers and theorists.