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andriawrites's review against another edition
2.0
This would have been far more interesting if Bloom didn't go on exclusively about male writers. Otherwives, interesting take on the influence of poetry/poets on other poets. There is definitely an "anxiety of influence" to be reckoned with when one writes one's own poetry.
mossfacts's review against another edition
3.0
i dont see myself as anti-intellectual by any means, but this one just annoyed me. interesting at times but dear god
jossarian4's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of people like to hate on Bloom, but they can't ignore his importance; this book is one of the books that is more easily disliked. If you want to read a more interesting Bloom work, go for The Invention of the Human.
eely225's review against another edition
4.0
This is a challenging book to get through, but it rewards the effort. The central thesis of poetry as a product of intentionally misreading one's predecessors, is such an interesting idea and has so many applications, that I am grateful for the extended reflection, even if a lot of it went over my head. Bloom doesn't slow down to provide context; he is proving a point in an efficient manner. The book could be three times as long if he were to provide a clear explanation of each text and author to which he refers, so the less-well-read reader is forced, at points, to take his word for it. There's a lot of meat here, as well as a good number of reading suggestions. Perhaps the biggest drawback is how much Bloom treats poetry in the abstract without providing much in terms of case studies to back up his point (excepting the last chapter and the preface to the second edition).
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