The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages

work by Bloom

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July 23, 2026

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The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages is a 1994 work by American literary critic Harold Bloom. In this book, Bloom argues for the enduring importance of a canon of Western literature, asserting that these works provide essential intellectual and spiritual value that can strengthen and reform the mind.1

Bloom's work is a defense of what he considers the "greats" of Western literary tradition, including authors like Shakespeare, Dante, and Chaucer. He critiques the rise of multiculturalism in academia, viewing it as detrimental to the study of these foundational texts. His perspective emphasizes the unique power of these literary works to offer profound insights and shape our understanding of ourselves and the world.1

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American literature
Theory
…reached a wide audience with The Western Canon (1994) and Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998), both of which explored and defended the Western literary tradition.
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…reached a wide audience with The Western Canon (1994) and Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998), both of which explored and defended the Western literary tradition.
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Harold Bloom
…reflected in his best-known work, The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages (1994), which rejects the multiculturalism prevalent in late 20th-century academia. He once said of multiculturalism that “it means fifth-rate work by people full of resentment.” In an interview published in 1995, Bloom reflected on the…
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…reflected in his best-known work, The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages (1994), which rejects the multiculturalism prevalent in late 20th-century academia. He once said of multiculturalism that “it means fifth-rate work by people full of resentment.” In an interview published in 1995, Bloom reflected on the…
Read More