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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I read Shakespeare's King Lear in high school, and in two college courses, and I taught it to my son while homeschooling. It is my favorite tragedy. So when I saw NetGalley had Harold Bloom's Lear: The Great Image of Authority I thought, cool! A chance to revisit my favorite tragedy!
And it was wonderful to read those familiar lines again. But I am sad to say...I did not enjoy Bloom's interjected comments about the play. I was lifted by Shakespeare's words then dunked in cold water, trudging through commentary until I got back to the Bard.
Not to say that Bloom did not offer ideas or insights or connections new to me. And he communicates his personal responses and joy.
I am shocked that I did not enjoy this. What can I say? But this presentation may work in a classroom lecture with students who had read the complete play and come ready to dissect it did not work for me.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
And it was wonderful to read those familiar lines again. But I am sad to say...I did not enjoy Bloom's interjected comments about the play. I was lifted by Shakespeare's words then dunked in cold water, trudging through commentary until I got back to the Bard.
Not to say that Bloom did not offer ideas or insights or connections new to me. And he communicates his personal responses and joy.
I am shocked that I did not enjoy this. What can I say? But this presentation may work in a classroom lecture with students who had read the complete play and come ready to dissect it did not work for me.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Dense and academic and without a clear thesis or conclusion, but full of Bloom’s incontrovertible intelligence and empathy for Shakespeare and his characters. This short treatise centers more on the journey/transformation of Edgar than Lear. Others have said it’s jumbled, but I think that’s because Bloom has such high regard for his topic that there can be no linear path of simplistic critique. The play is nuanced and layered; so is Bloom’s path through it.
Fantastic source for anyone who’s studied Lear or plans to teach the tragedy. Bloom guides readers through the play with compassion for the most tragic of all Shakespeare’s creations.
informative
slow-paced
While a revisit to the play was needed for me (I haven't read the play in a while), I was disappointed by Bloom's approach to a play by the author he is an authoritative voice of. I expected to delve into the plot and philosophy presented in the play, developing a greater respect for the work and Shakespearean tragedies in general. However, I was unable to find much original material because of the numerous quotations of the original work. Bloom published a book, and it seems as if half of the print is dedicated to the reproduction of the play itself with sparse interruptions of commentary. I was expecting an article that you would read to prepare for an academic paper, and that was my first folly. This reading of the play does not come with many original arguments, but rather assisting the capable reader through the play with a guiding hand that is not necessary. One final complaint I have for the work is that the title is dedicated to Lear, but the character given the most attention is unarguably Edgar, which was fairly frustrating. Ultimately, a book such as this is necessary, but I feel as if the execution could be handled much differently.
I liked reading this because I’m a boring person. I like boring things. I want to get shot out of the English cannon to my doom.
fast-paced
This review and others can be found on BW Book Reviews.
1.5/5 – DNF at 59%
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy. This did not affect my opinion.
Last year, I read Cleopatra: I Am Fire and Air, an analysis of Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare. That was the first time I had ever heard of him. Everyone calls him a renowned Shakespeare expert. It just didn’t feel like this book was his finest piece on Shakespeare. I got more out of reading the play myself (which I did in prep for this book) than reading it.
While this says the book is about Lear, it felt like it was about everyone but Lear. There was more time spent on Edgar, the legitimate son of Gloucester who was being plotted against by his half-brother, than anyone else. I expected this book to be a very close analysis of Lear’s character since he is such a unique one. The slow devolution into insanity and madness, which he already had a thin grasp of already.
The most I got out of this was that the use of “nothing” is very purposeful in the play. And that everyone else has a real role and uniqueness that Bloom focused on rather than the titular character. Even with that, the book felt jumbled and without a thesis whatsoever. It starts off with a comparison of Hamlet and Lear (which did nothing) and moved onto completely rehashing the play. There were more quotes pulled from the play than actual analysis of what was taken out.
Overall, this didn’t feel like an expert telling me about Shakespeare and giving me the hidden meaning of the play, but an overlong essay that I could have written back in my AP Lit class that earned me a barely passing grade.
1.5/5 – DNF at 59%
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy. This did not affect my opinion.
Last year, I read Cleopatra: I Am Fire and Air, an analysis of Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare. That was the first time I had ever heard of him. Everyone calls him a renowned Shakespeare expert. It just didn’t feel like this book was his finest piece on Shakespeare. I got more out of reading the play myself (which I did in prep for this book) than reading it.
While this says the book is about Lear, it felt like it was about everyone but Lear. There was more time spent on Edgar, the legitimate son of Gloucester who was being plotted against by his half-brother, than anyone else. I expected this book to be a very close analysis of Lear’s character since he is such a unique one. The slow devolution into insanity and madness, which he already had a thin grasp of already.
The most I got out of this was that the use of “nothing” is very purposeful in the play. And that everyone else has a real role and uniqueness that Bloom focused on rather than the titular character. Even with that, the book felt jumbled and without a thesis whatsoever. It starts off with a comparison of Hamlet and Lear (which did nothing) and moved onto completely rehashing the play. There were more quotes pulled from the play than actual analysis of what was taken out.
Overall, this didn’t feel like an expert telling me about Shakespeare and giving me the hidden meaning of the play, but an overlong essay that I could have written back in my AP Lit class that earned me a barely passing grade.