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Possessed by Memory: The Inward Light of Criticism,Used
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In arguably his most personal and lasting book, America's most daringly original and controversial critic gives us brief, luminous readings of more than eighty texts by canonical authors texts he has had by heart since childhood.Gone are the polemics. Here, instead, in a memoir of sortsan inward journey from childhood to ninetyBloom argues elegiacally with nobody but Bloom, interested only in the influence of the mind upon itself when it absorbs the highest and most enduring imaginative literature. He offers more than eighty meditations on poems and prose that have haunted him since childhood and which he has possessed by memory: from the Psalms and Ecclesiastes to Shakespeare and Dr. Johnson; Spenser and Milton to Wordsworth and Keats; Whitman and Browning to Joyce and Proust; Tolstoy and Yeats to Delmore Schwartz and Amy Clampitt; Blake to Wallace Stevensand so much more. And though he has written before about some of these authors, these exegeses, written in the winter of his life, are movingly informed by 'the freshness of last things.'As Bloom writes movingly: 'One of my concerns throughout Possessed by Memory is with the beloved dead. Most of my good friends in my generation have departed. Their voices are still in my ears. I find that they are woven into what I read. I listen not only for their voices but also for the voice I heard before the world was made. My other concern is religious, in the widest sense. For me poetry and spirituality fuse as a single entity. All my long life I have sought to isolate poetic knowledge. This also involves a knowledge of God and gods. I see imaginative literature as a kind of theurgy in which the divine is summoned, maintained, and augmented.'
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- Q: What is the main theme of 'Possessed by Memory: The Inward Light of Criticism'? A: The main theme revolves around the author's introspective journey through literature, exploring how significant texts have influenced his life and thoughts from childhood to adulthood.
- Q: Who is the author of this book? A: The book is authored by Harold Bloom, a prominent literary critic known for his original and often controversial views on literature.
- Q: When was 'Possessed by Memory' published? A: The book was published on April 16, 2019.
- Q: How many pages does 'Possessed by Memory' contain? A: The book contains a total of 544 pages.
- Q: What type of binding does this book have? A: This edition of 'Possessed by Memory' is bound in hardcover.
- Q: Is 'Possessed by Memory' suitable for all readers? A: While the book is accessible to a general audience, it is particularly suited for readers interested in literary criticism and those familiar with classic literature.
- Q: What genres does this book fall under? A: The book falls under the genre of literary criticism, memoir, and philosophy.
- Q: Does 'Possessed by Memory' include analyses of specific authors? A: Yes, the book offers meditations on texts by a wide range of canonical authors, including Shakespeare, Milton, and Joyce, among others.
- Q: What is the significance of the title 'Possessed by Memory'? A: The title reflects Bloom's exploration of how literature is intertwined with memory and personal experience, suggesting that great texts possess the reader's mind.
- Q: Is this book a first edition? A: Yes, this edition is noted as the First Edition of 'Possessed by Memory'.