Harold Bloom's Genius: 100 creative minds (Now discussing Edith Wharton)

Yet another 100 list, this time with a touch (or rather blaring thud) of highbrow snobbery. For those not familiar, Harold Bloom is the rather infamous curmudgeon critic and professor at Yale. However, most of the authors on this list are familiar names from high school English classes, and Bloom only selects the dead so as not to offend (although in his infamous Boston Herald article he lists only four living writers he considers worthy).

Fortunately, there are a lot of "big names" spread throughout, so there's rarely a dull spot. The list focuses on different "shades" of genius. Discuss at free will:


Ralph Ellison

Bloom counts Ellison in the "Malkhut" (using Kabbalah as the framework for his "lustres"), or the presence of God in the world. To call Ellison a genius is debatable, although Invisible Man is one of the best works of the 20th century and certainly is a work of genius. However, his reputation lies entirely in this book, as Bloom admits, which reveals Ellison's influences on its sleeve. He transforms Dostoevsky's Underground Man and fuses him with Joyce's Stephen Dedalus, set to the jazzy tone of Richard Wright. Good company.

A tremendously influential book, it reads well and is still quite relevant. The first chapter, "Battle Royale" even works well as a stand alone short story. I was surprised to find this in the "African American literature" section rather in general literature--to me, it's not strictly a novel about the African American condition, but one for the ages. I read it at the beginning of the summer, and would certainly recommend.

Up next: Paul Celan.

 

I know who Harold Bloom is, alright, but can't say I've read any of his work. (In Canada, it's Northrop Frye or die). Also read "Invisible Man" in school, but it didn't stay with me, and I don't recall anything beyond the reason behind the title. I do remember it was his only book, which makes judging him as an artist more difficult.

Never heard of Paul Celan, though. Google is my friend.

 

Zaz--Bloom lacks plenty of fans here in the states too--after he slammed Harry Potter and Stephen King, not so popular with the average reader. But a tremendous Shakespeare scholar.


To be perfectly honest, I know essentially nothing about Celan as well. Bloom calls him "a difficult, laconic poet of extraordinary power and originality" and likens him to Kafka.

It appears he had quite an interesting life, his mother was murdered by Nazis and he survived the Holocaust by working in a Nazi labor camp. Not familiar enough with his work to make judgement, and as always, translation is really difficult to asess, especially with poetry.

Any one familiar?

Isaac Babel, the Jewish-Russian short story writer, on deck,
Fyodor Dostoevsky in the hole.

 

He's perfectly entitled to slam Rowling and King if he wants, but I'm rather suspicious about why he would do it. After all, if he thinks that people will turn to Shakespeare if they don't read R & K, he's dreaming in technicolour. Not that that's the reason, I suspect. He wanted a few headlines. And making a list of 100 creative minds? Ditto. Not that any of the above makes his opinion of various types of high art moot, of course. It just makes him look faintly ridiculous, ie. human. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as another worthless pop culture icon would say.

Re: Celan.

Got this from the internet:

Death is a gang-boss aus Deutchland his eye is blue
he hits you with leaden bullets his aim is true
there's a man in this house your golden hair Margareta
he sets his dogs on our trail he gives us a grave in the sky
he cultivates snakes he dreams Death is a gang-boss aus Deutschland

(from 'A Death Fugue')

The translation does make it difficult to assess, especially because the vocal rhythyms of German are far different than English. But you can see that this must be a powerful poem in the original language.

 

Bloom, for some reason, has little patience with popular fiction, despite the fact that Shakespeare was incredibly popular in his time. I won?t comment on Potter, but Stephen King is a fantastic author and I truly believe his work will stand the test of time.

That said, Bloom is often not wrong on who he compliments. He generally insults the wrong people, by my reckoning. I think what this means is that I am more open minded than he is. And if that isn?t enough pretentious snobbery from me today, I?ll just keep going.

I have yet to read anything by Ellison. Bloom I have read a few efforts from. His criticism is often more entertaining than most, but his blind spots are fairly irritating. As I?ve stated: if you?re currently alive, Native American, Oriental, female or popular, don?t expect anything from the guy.

I think it?s difficult enough to rank individual works. It?s even harder to rank careers. It?s even harder to rank minds. This is, quite frankly, a fool?s errand. That probably means it?ll be lots of fun.

My format will be:

A brief opinion on the person in general, followed by brief bullets about the works I?ve read, followed by a list of books that I have intended to read for a while but still haven?t gotten around too.

Anyway, as I say, Ellison, I?m not familiar with, despite his coming from my home state, just a couple hours from me, actually.

Works by Ellison I plan to read:

Invisible Man
Shadow and Act

 

Fortunately, Rogue, the "list" isn't really a list at all, with perhaps the exception of the top "category." I like most of his choices, despite them being mostly limited to the European male variety. Exclusive as they are, it's rarely a bad read if Bloom approves.


Isaac Babel

Called one of the best short story writers everywhere, Babel is another writer with a notable life--murdered by the Stalin secret police. Born in 1894 (I discovered we share the same birthday after a bit of googling) in Ukraine, Babel joined the Bolsheviks but was later critical of Stalin.

I do own the Complete Works of Babel (a gift from my high school English teacher), but I've only really read a few of his short stories. He has a chameleon style (though decidedly Russian/Jewish), and is a fine writer, both observant and funny. The Odessa Stories are considered among the best, along with the Red Cavalry series. Much less heralded than his English-writing contemporaries, but nonetheless, a gem in short fiction.

Perhaps well known for his quote, "No iron can pierce the heart with more force than a well-placed period." Was looking for a short story online to post as reading, but no such luck.

Next up, two familiar faces:
Fyodor Dotoevsky on deck
Charles Dickens in the hole.

 

Yup, Rogue, it's a 'mosaic' because lists are so declasse, in Bloom County, anyway. I reserved a copy of it through the local library, and see that Bloom has quite a list of publications, including "Poems and Stories for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages". I've rarely seen a title that infuriated me as much, unless it was G. B. Shaw's "The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism." Condescending much? Pandering more?

Luckily, the local library also has a Complete Works of Babel, which I also reserved.

 

I know nothing about Celan, except he is supposed to be a masterful writer.

My list to read (yes, this is actually the title of a book, not a generic catchall):

Poems

Same goes for Isaac Babel.

My list to read (again, the title of a book, not a generic catchall):

Collected Stories

 

A more familiar face for everyone.

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Dostoevsky is yet another writer with an interesting life, set to be executed and freed at gunpoint. He also suffered epilepsy, grappled with religion, and lost his son Alyosha aged three; three prominent factors in his masterpiece, The Brothers Karamazov. Most of his books are considered essentials of Russian literature, not to mention the Western Canon. A prolific writer, often called "the great psychologist," admired by Nietzsche and Freud, for his "ahead of its time" psychology of Brothers Karamazov, and existentialism of Notes from Underground. Bloom bases most of Dostoevsky's reputation on the Brothers Karamazov, but probably more widely known for Crime and Punishment.

I've read Notes from Underground, which I found to be somewhat depressing in the extent of its existential position; Crime and Punishment, which is a very good novel from a psychological perspective; and Brothers Karamazov, which ranks within my top five works of all time. Dostoevsky seems to have a penchant for the "prostitute with a heart of gold," and probably contributes to the fact that his female characters are less interesting than the male. "Brothers" attempts to answer any significant question in the plight of mankind, and even answers several, at least to the satisfaction of Dostoevsky. Each of the three legitimate Karamazov brothers eminates a particular trait--Ivan, the cold intellect; Mitya, the sensual passions; and Alyosha, the tenacity of the spirit. Together, a compelling conflict. Even the bastard brother is a fascinating character.

Some debate over the ending of the novel, which has been likened to "a boy scout rally" (surprisingly, not by Harold Bloom), but endures as a moving piece of literature.

Genius? I would definitely allow Dostoevsky the title.


Dickens up next.

 

I liked "Crime and Punishment", but I have to said "The Brothers Karamazov" defeated me more than once.

 

Dostoyevsky is certainly deserving. Literature is tied to the soul of slavic cultures. Words in these languages are much more intricate than most others. For example, Russians have a verb that aproximates the english idiomatic phrase "taking the hair of the dog that bite you." If anything I'd say Dostoyevsky had an unfair advantage simply because he was Russian. Although his work is only as good as the translation/interpretation.

Crime and Punishment is a work that really exhibits Fyodor's best talent. Developing a character that is experiencing madness is dangerous. He does it beautifully. Getting a sense of Rodya's turmoil is effortless for the reader.

 

The Brothers Karamazov is a fantastic work of literature, one of my personal top ten ever since I read it two years or so ago.

It's brilliant. It succeeds on so many levels: great character study, interesting murder mystery, portrait of a family breakdown, etc. All four of the brothers seem to represent a different perspective on life (and this decades before Freud would say the same thing . . . darn right Freud owes a debt to this guy), and it is representative of D's talent that each of the brothers comes across as, not only interesting, but also sympathetic. Their extremism is evident enough that they should be a little off putting, particularly Mitya, but they all work and you feel for all of them. Even stranger, you come close to agreeing with all of them at various points. For that alone, the book deserves it's status as a landmark of literature.

Even more so, the ideas of redemption through suffering, patricide, dysfunctional romance, etc. These things have incredible resonance and depth to them.

Consider: The Grand Inquisitor is considered a classic and it's one of the most stunning and intriguing statements about Christianity, government, religion and compassion of literature. And it's an afterthought, a story one of the main characters tells over a beer. Consider that. Most people would be happy just to write the Inquisitor. Doestoevsky just uses it for character development.

As well, the chapter where Ivan is visited by the devil is one of my all time favorite chapters, ranking right up there with the suicide chapter of From Here to Eternity.

Regardless, I think this is one guy that, on the basis of reading one book by him, is worthy of the name "genius." Amazing writer.

I want to read, but haven't yet:

Notes from the Underground
The Idiot
White Nights
Crime and Punishment
The Possessed
Short Novels

 

Russian novels always seem to have a terrible talky bleakness. (Though I have to admit I liked "Oblomov".)

I discovered TBK online, and am currently reading a chapter a day in a do-or-die attempt to get through it this time. Though I suspect the previous failure to do so is a question of temperment. It's the Garnett translation, which I take it, is the old one. It seems fine so far, but I'll never forget one of the French translations of "MacBeth." Instead of saying "All hail, Macbeth!" they say "Bonjour, bonjour MacBeth!" which is not exactly the same thing. I really don't know how idiomatic Russian is.

 

Zaz, Pevear and Volokhonsky are the best when it comes to readability, and from what I understand, capturing the original. I've browsed the Garnett and read the Andrew R. MacAndrew all the way through, but you can't beat the P&V team when it comes to Russian translation. They've also done C&P, Notes from Underground, The Idiot, and probably something else of Dostoevsky's.


Charles Dickens

Most commonly found populating junior high reading, and best known for countless productions of "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens represents a sort of benign novelist of boyhood stories. Bloom bases his choice of Dickens on Shakespearian and Arabian Nights influences, claiming that he is a great "peopler of the world." This may be true, as the names of Pip, Oliver Twist, Ebeneezer Scrooge, and David Copperfield are rather familiar characters, though perhaps not in the original form. And of course, his lines--"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Also a terribly shrewd businessman, serializing his novels, buying them back for cheap, and reselling beautiful volumes to the rich. And perhaps, the great documenter of London in his time, and also writer of a non-fiction look at America. Hard Times, Bleak House, and Pickwick papers are among his less popular, more respected.

Interestingly, I managed to evade all Dickens save a Christmas Carol in 9th grade, although I read most of his works in their abridged form in elementary school. Very good entertaining fare, and quite memorable characters. But Dickens is often disregarded as a serious academic author, and is more lampooned than respected.

Genius? Not having read very much of him, I can't make the call on this one.


Next up, a personal favorite, William Butler Yeats.

 

Dickens is great. Really like his stuff. Nicholas Nickleby is a work of perfection.

 

To judge by the Dickensesque pastiches that litter the market, there is still a big audience (ie. "The Quincunx", "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell", etc. etc.) and the style is much harder than it looks.

The grandson of a servant, and the son of a man who was imprisoned for debt, Dickens had a Dickensian youth. He started in the newspapers, and had his first success with "A Christmas Carol".

His style isn't exactly dated, it's just different, and hard for a modern audience to get used to. Like Chaplin, he loves that old pathos; and also like Chaplin, he can be terrifically funny (the 'donkeys on the green' chapter in "David Copperfield"). But the later books: "Our Mutual Friend" and "Great Expectations" were my favorites, though the latter is marred by a tacked-on happy ending. "Dombey and Son", "Hard Times", "Bleak House" and "Little Dorritt" are also good.

The early stuff: "Martin Chuzzlewit", "The Pickwick Papers", "Nicholas Nickleby", and "Oliver Twist" are variable. Dickens had a strong streak of melodrama in him, he loved giving stage readings of the death of Nancy in "Oliver Twist" and making some in the audience faint. That sort of thing. For a Victorian, he was surprisingly free-wheeling; he left his wife and the mother of his ten (!) children for a much-younger actress, Ellen Ternan, and they had a child out of wedlock. The heroines of his last three novels are based on her, and to judge by them, she wasn't Little Miss Muffett.

 

Dickens was a talented guy. He had an eye for absolutely wringing tragedy. Thus, the saying that something hurts like the dickens, or so I?ve heard. It started by saying that something hurt like a dickens? character. Not sure if that?s true or just a creative writing retconn, but it?s clever and witty, either way.

I recall reading Oliver Twist probably nine or ten years ago now and I seem to recall it being the first book to make me cry. The death of Nancy is a great passage and I don?t blame him for liking it.

He did create some great characters, particularly Bill Sykes, a fantastic villain by any standards, but including all the standbys: Scrooge, Marley, Cratchit, Tiny Tim, David Copperfield, Mr. Micawber, etc.

But, despite those people who say he?s too wordy, I think what I recall most is his incredible way with words. He could say very simple things in a profound way and vice versa. See the famous ?best of times, worst of times? passage, a whole section about contradictions in society. Fantastic and still applicable. And then you have lines so incredible you?d almost kill to be able to write them: ?Marley was dead to begin with,? for example, one of the best opening lines ever.

Frankly, Christmas Carol is still a favorite as well and so many lines have stuck with me over the years: ?You keep Christmas in your way and let me keep it in mine.? ?But you do not keep it.? ?Well, let me leave it alone then.? And I?ve always loved the moving simplicity of ?Back payments.? Now there?s a powerful sentiment expressed simply and beautifully.

At this point, Oliver Twist and Christmas Carol is all I?ve read.

However, given his great eye for detail, his fantastic talent at creating realistic and interesting characters and his fantastic wit, charm and beautiful language, I have no problem calling him a genius. Any guy who gets fifteen books on my ?to read? list must be pretty good . . .?

I plan to read:

Pickwick Papers
David Copperfield
A Tale of Two Cities
Bleak House
Hard Times
Nicholas Nickleby
Dombey and Son
Great Expectations
Martin Chuzzlewit
Christmas Stories
Little Dorret
Our Mutual Friend
The Mystery of Edwin Drood

 

William Butler Yeats

Yeats, one of the leaders of the Celtic Revival, or Irish Renaissance, is the biggest internationally, compared to the playwright Synge or Lady Gregory. A figure deeply in love with myth and folklore, many of Yeats's early poems (such as "The Stolen Child") deal with faeries and other figures, while later poems concentrate on Yeats's own histeriosophy. Fascinated by the occult, Yeats participated in seances and other mystic practices. Also, an extreme romantic, writing many of his poems to Maud Gonne, the Irish revolutionary who turned down his many marriage proposals (he later even proposed to her daughter--another rejection).

His theory on history appears in a number of poems, specifically one of his best, "The Second Coming," believing that history moves in gyres, beginning with one tiny moment, the birth of a child by God. From this, came larger events, moving away until "the centre cannot hold" and "things fall apart." The mythological example is the rape of Leda by Zeus (another great poem), followed by the birth of her children--the Odyssey, the Iliad, the Roman empire, until approximately anticipating the fall of it--a young woman is impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and a child is born in Bethlehem, until eventually the art world shifts away from Christ paintings, and according to this theory, the "next big thing" would occur right around now.

An interesting theory, very poetic, as expected from Yeats. A master poet who produced countless excellent work throughout his life. My favorites, "The Second Coming," "Sailing to Byzantium," "Words," "No Second Troy," and plenty others. "The Tower" is probably his best volume (a fully mature Yeats), but the collected and selected works are very nice. A very Irish poet, but like Joyce, was able to expand to the international community with ease. Beautiful meter, sophisticated rhymes, and a master of allusion.

Genius? Absolutely.

 

My father is both a Celt and a poetry lover, so he had me reciting Yeats before I could walk. His choice is "The Lake Isle of Inisfree"; mine is "The Second Coming":

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all convictions, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

That looks more and more like a prophecy...especially the last two lines.

Genius, yes. His work is full of quotes, like Shakespeare.

 

I have read very little Yeats. I am most familiar with his most famous work, The Second Coming, which is brilliant, though I have read some of his other poems over the years. One day I intend to buckle down and give the man a good in-depth study.

As Zaz says, The Second Coming is both beautiful and memorable. I?m hesitant to give him a genius rating until I?ve read a little more.

My list to read includes:

The Wild Swans at Coole
Selected Poems
Collected Poems
Collected Plays
A Vision
Mythologies
Autobiography

 

The "best lack all conviction" bit was my yearbook quote, actually.

Next up, Robert Browning

Browning, called by Bloom one of the great neglected poets, is perhaps more familiar for his literary love with Elizabeth Barrett Browning than his own work (and was possibly overshadowed by the career of his wife). The neglect is true for me at least. I have never read Browning extensively, and "My Last Duchess" and "Pippa Passes" are pretty much the only Browning I could easily name. Best known for his use of the dramatic monologue, Browning wrote in a confessional style--early poems imitating Shelley. A story poet, Browning embraces developing character more than the romantics before him.

I know virtually nothing about Browning's work, so I can't make the call. Here's a stanza from his poem "Abt Vogler" to get a feel for his work:

Well, it is earth with me; silence resumes her reign:
I will be patient and proud, and soberly acquiesce.
Give me the keys. I feel for the common chord again,
Sliding by semitones till I sink to the minor,--yes,
And I blunt it into a ninth, and I stand on alien ground,
Surveying awhile the heights I rolled from into the deep;
Which, hark, I have dared and done, for my resting-place is found,
The C Major of this life: so, now I will try to sleep.


Up next, the novelist Henry James
Lewis Carroll in the hole.

 

I tend to get Browning confused with other poets. Did he write "To a Field Mouse?" If so, I read that, but I don't think that was him.

EDIT: No, that was Robert Burns who I confuse with Browning just about every time I read one of their names . . .

As you can tell, my experience is very limited.

I intend to read:

Poems
The Ring and the Book

 

Don't know about this choice. Browning was the master of the dramatic monologue: "My Last Duchess" is the one I remember. There are some other famous ones as well, and there also is no doubt he had a rather macabre element to his writing, often involving murder. (You do wonder about him and his wife.)

I find his stuff a bit clotted, as it meets the ear.

 

Henry James

James is one of the most prominent American Victorian writers, though he spent quite a bit of his life abroad. Biographically, nothing terribly interesting about him. A literary man, James wrote countless novels, novellas, short stories, a few plays, numerous critical articles (literary and art), and some travel writings. In my assessment, he is somewhat of an American Jane Austen, very concious of class and drawing room romance, but "pioneered" American expat literature for later figures like Fitzgerald. A very heavy handed prose style, though his shorter works are considered some of his best. "The Turn of the Screw" is his most famous short story--and one of the few "ghost stories" to be accepted as literature.

I've read Daisy Miller and some of his shorter fiction. A decent writer with interesting commentary on social themes, but from what I've read, nothing special. I'd like to read Washington Square, but until then, I can't make the call.

 

Henry James came from a very intellecutal and wealthy family (Irish immigrants originally). His older brother was the brilliant psychologist and philosopher William James ("The Principles of Psychology"; "The Will to Believe"; "Radical Empiricism", etc. etc.)

James moved to England fairly young. I don't agree with the comparison with Jane Austen: yes, James was interested in class, but in fact, but he was more interested in morality. His family was highly religious, and his father was an adherent of the Christian mystic Swedenborg.

His style is a problem, no error; and it gets worse as he grows older. In a late story like "The Beast in the Jungle", you practically have to use a scythe to cut back the subordinate clauses. This does not mean it is not a work of art; it just means you must read slowly and have patience.

Because not many people have patience these days, his shorter works are more popular. These include "The Turn of the Screw", "The Jolly Corner (another ghost story); "The Aspern Papers", "Daisy Miller" and "The Spoils of Poynton." Inheritance, money and various types of betrayals (usually stemming from the first two) are his great subjects.

James wanted popular success, and tried playwriting (with disastrous results). Oddly, though, his works are being adapted to the big screen quite regularly. Avoid anything directed by James Ivory. However, there is a decent adaptation of "The Turn of the Screw" (called "The Innocents" and starring Deborah Kerr), and another film of the same story called "The Nightcomers" (haven't seen this).

James is the polar opposite of a writer like Mark Twain, but he is just as relevant. He also wrote essays and criticism, and both are very readable.

Recommended:

"Daisy Miller"
"What Maisie Knew"
"The Wings of the Dove"
"The Ambassadors"

(William James isn't much read these days, but is also highly recommended.)