Harold Bloom's strange defence of the Western Canon

This lecture briefly discusses the idea of a literary canon, as opposed to the Biblical canon. The former unlike the latter can admit of additions. Harold Bloom defends the idea of the Western canon on exclusively aesthetic grounds, which is an extraordinary departure from the rationale given for studying it traditionally. However, while the 'canon wars' of the 1980s that pushed for the inclusion of authors usually on grounds of what we now call 'identity' was objectionable, it is nothing like as problematic as the idea that the previous canon needs to be utterly replaced. The cultural studies approach to literature is an expression of the latent cultural Marxism of the earlier critics being more fully articulated. ❤️ If you find my channel helpful, become a channel member:    / drscottmasson   ❤️ Subscribe to my Substack: https://drscottmasson.substack.com/ ❤️ Support my channel and assist me in providing better content: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=...