Harold Bloom on HP (semi-OT)

[sashibuya at hotmail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 11262

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Jim Ferer" <jferer at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Andrea H Bonfanti" <andrea at n...> wrote:
<snip>
> 
> Mr. Bloom might have a point that the Harry Potter series may not 
fix 
> the literary problems of an entire nation, but what's his answer? I 
> doubt reading his material will change things.

Actually, Bloom has written several interesting and very readable 
books on the classics (The Western Canon and Shakespeare:  Invention 
of the Human), and I assume that reaching the public was part of his 
mission in writing them. 

<snip>
> 
> I wish people would stop sending flames to people like Mr. Bloom. 
He's 
> entitled to his opinion, and some people just love to get vilified 
> like that.
> 

Agreed. 

<snip>
> 
> I think the following excerpt from a profile of Mr. Bloom on the 
> Stnford Presidential Lectures site will give some insight into 
where 
> he's coming from and convince some people Mr. Bloom is a literary 
> snob: (Excuse me. An *envious* literary snob)
> 

Where do you get "envious" from? Why does this show him to be a snob? 
It's just a description of his career. Actually, that Bloom was even 
willing to be this outspoken actually shows him to be out of step 
with the current academy. 

<snip>
> 
> This is exactly what we need to capture the minds and imaginations 
of 
> 9 to 12 year olds, isn't it?

Although I disagree with his stance on Harry Potter and whether one 
should read him, I don't think we need to villify him for it, or for 
being a literary theorist. I don't need Bloom's approval to read 
Harry Potter, though I respect his work. In fact, it's pretty 
populist for a critic to even *care* about what the public is 
reading. 
I don't see Bloom as part of an organized backlash....I think some 
backlash is even healthy. Some of the hype is kind of obnoxious. I 
have mixed feelings about how HP has become a marketing juggernaut, 
though I'm glad that Rowling is now rich. For me, it's all about the 
books. 

Charmian