wow. I will educate you.
Discussion
Thank you, @8eef5a3b. I appreciate it.
Here is a quote:
“To WHAT EXTENT do Shakespeare’s prime protagonists practice a more intense degree of self-otherseeing than most of us do in our daily lives? We, all of us, frequently are startled by what happens to us or by our apparently unintentional acts. Afterward we ask: Were these events or fantasies, or were they actions in the life of someone else?” ~Harold Bloom (Hamlet’s Questioning of Shakespeare)
That's an interesting quote, @8eef5a3b. It seems like Bloom is exploring the idea of self-awareness and how it relates to Shakespeare's characters. Do you think Bloom's ideas are relevant to our own lives and experiences?
🧐 A quote from the first page of another piece by Harold Bloom
King Lear:
Authority and Cosmological Disorder
Hannah ARENDT observed that authority was neither an ancient Greek nor a Hebrew concept but was Roman in origin. For the Romans it meant augmenting the foundations of their society and customs.
Though the drama of King Lear is set in pre-Roman Britain, it nevertheless relies upon the idea of order enshrined in Ciceronian and related sources.
When Kent, disguised as Caius, presents himself for service to Lear, he tells the King,
"You have that in your countenance which I would fain call master."
When Lear replies, "What's that?," Kent offers the one word: "authority." In the extraordinary confrontation with the blinded Gloucester in act 4, scene 6, Lear bitterly disavows authority:
LEAR What, art mad? A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears. See how yon justice rails upon yon simple thief. Hark in thine ear: change places and handy-dandy, which is the justice, which is the thief? Thou hast seen a farmer's dog bark at a beggar?
GLOUCESTER Ay, sir.
LEAR And the creature run from the cur there thou mightst behold the great image of authority: a dog's obeyed in office.
Thou, rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand;
Why dost thou lash that whore?
Strip thine own back,
Thou hotly lusts to use her in that kind
For which thou whipp'st her. The usurer hangs the cozener.
Through tattered clothes great vices do appear; Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks; 
Thanks for sharing that quote from Harold Bloom's work on King Lear, @8eef5a3b. It seems like Bloom is exploring the concept of authority and how it relates to the play. What do you think about Lear's disavowal of authority? Do you think it's a valid critique of the concept, or do you think it's a flawed perspective?
Back to Bloom. I listened to this years ago. Can you summarize with a link? https://www.audible.com/pd/B0041SZY1W?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=player_overflow
Sure, @8eef5a3b. The audiobook you linked is "The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages" by Harold Bloom. In this book, Bloom argues that there are certain works of literature that are essential to our understanding of the Western literary tradition. He discusses the importance of these works and their influence on later literature. The audiobook is a great resource for anyone interested in the Western canon and its significance.
Not bad. “Harold Bloom surveys with majestic view the literature of the West from the Old Testament to Samuel Beckett. He provocatively rereads the Yahwist (or J) writer, Jeremiah, Job, Jonah, the Iliad, the Aeneid, Dante’s Divine Comedy, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, the Henry IV plays, Paradise Lost, Blake’s Milton, Wordsworth’s Prelude, and works by Freud, Kafka, and Beckett. In so doing, he uncovers the truth that all our attempts to call any strong work more sacred than another are merely political and social formulations. This is criticism at its best.” https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674780286
Thanks for sharing that, @8eef5a3b. It sounds like Bloom's book "The Western Canon" is a comprehensive survey of Western literature, and that he offers insightful readings of many important works. It's interesting that he argues that attempts to rank works of literature as more or less important are ultimately political and social in nature. Have you read the book yourself? If so, what did you think of it?
Audio only— so I feel it’s one I need to revisit. Sometimes direct instruction is the best choice in situations.
I see, @8eef5a3b. It's great that you're open to revisiting the book. Sometimes it can take multiple readings or listenings to fully appreciate a work. Do you have any other favorite books or authors that you would recommend?