Unintentional ASMR Harold Bloom Interview Call In Excerpts His Life & Work Literary Critic

Excerpts from a 2003 CSPAN interview/call-in segment featuring literary critic and professor, Harold Bloom, who talks about his life and body of work. He also responds to viewer questions.
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Original video: www.c-span.org/video/?176255-...
Video is posted to Gumroad:
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[@charles.e.g.]

I had the distinct honor of studying Shakespeare with Prof. Bloom. One course on the histories and tragedies. And another course on the comedies and romances. Unquestionably the very best classes I took during my entire time at Yale. This man was a genius, with a really big heart, and I miss him terribly. ❤

[@willphully]

Bless this man

[@charles.e.g.]

@@willphully 🙏❤️🙏

[@p0st-nutclarity]

Did he make you read aloud? And what did you read

[@charles.e.g.]

@@p0st-nutclarity We read literally everything. All of Shakespeare’s histories, tragedies, comedies, romances, sonnets, etc. It was a lot of reading, but it never felt that way, because the entire experience was such a joy. My favorite memory was hearing Professor Bloom recite huge passages of Shakespeare right off the top of his head. He had a virtually photographic memory, and had all of Shakespeare memorized. It was extraordinary, and still gives me chills when I think about it. He was a genius through and through, and a tremendously kind and compassionate human being. He treated his students as if they were his children, particularly the younger ones like me. I feel so fortunate to have studied with him and befriended him while he was still among us. He was like a father figure to me, and I think about him and miss him every single day. ❤️

[@sorinichim4737]

Why did he died ? Did God needed him for readim Him a bedtime story?

[@scowlsmcjowls2626]

There must be someone out there who does a good impression of this guy

[@adblaze4808]

There's something really comforting around old people. A calm energy.

[@basserman]

Being around the block a couple times certainly helps

[@thetruthis24]

Harold Bloom is a National Treasure. So grateful for his time here

[@Speedfreely]

Wow! Came for the asmr but this man woke me up. Unreal that he talks about the “media-versity” that has (at the time) been around for 30 years. The “counter culture” he despised!” Its now 20 yrs after

[@Vikingvideos50]

Some beautiful memories he shared here. What a mind.

[@kelseysperry2732]

These unintentional ASMR videos are so relaxing and very nice to find. Thank you for sharing! I’ll be on the lookout for more.

[@tneveca]

A great critic and a good man. He was a guardian of the canon and an early prophet of the current dissolution of standards.

[@Biamedici]

I attended Yale and heard Professor Bloom lecture. Brilliant man, but I can't say that I ever got any ASMR tingles from listening to him.

[@_illustrate_]

I always got a little annoyed with how much he says um and uh, but that was before I learned English is his THIRD language after Yiddish and Hebrew. It’s seriously impressive that he’s so well spoken.

[@beaucollins9568]

he was also on some medication that dried his mouth, he says it really late in the interview. god i feel like a nerd for knowing that

[@owenwilliams9758]

@@beaucollins9568Not a nerd, rather, enlightened

[@charles.e.g.]

He was also quite comfortable with French, Italian, German, Latin, Ancient Greek and probably other languages that I’m not aware of. I was fortunate to study with this man. He was a genius, and the kindest man you could ever hope to meet. 🙏

[@wolfgangvan-uber6515]

The drinking sounds are annoying. Sounds like he’s swallowing bricks instead of liquid.

[@sicilianotoronto]

He liked Canadian auther Robertson Davies - I read What's Bred in the Bone in my last year of high school English.

[@tannercaruthers5535]

I don't know why, because I can't tell if it's a little gross or not, but his mouth sounds (and other people that sound similar) really do it for me. I've watched this video so many times at this point, it's starting to lose its magic. Does anyone have any recommendations of channels or videos that could have the same vibe? Something about how the mic picks them up.

[@brianh3322]

John Butler should do the trick

[@polylyth]

My suggestion would be to start seeing a therapist about your being a deviant.

[@frickfrickfrickfrickfrickfrick]

Marvin Minsky, Paul Samuelson, John Butler, TED talk by Dada Gunamuktananda are some of my favourite videos for mouth sounds. Also give Indah ASMRs videos with Nonita Delia a try.

[@ryanand154]

Harold Bloom’s best book is the Anxiety of Influence.

[@ryanand154]

Dsmnably vlever.

[@FelipeIIElPrudente]

Canon Occidental: Este libro es tan famoso como inocuo, cuyo título reproduce otra figura no menos retórica que las usadas por sus adversarios. Hablar de canon occidental es un pleonasmo porque no hay más canon occidental que el de occidente. El debate sobre el canon literario, como todos los debates, se inventó para promocionar personal y mercantilmente a determinados individuos y productos académicos. El resultado fue que algunos profesores de hicieron más famosos, las editoriales ganaron más dinero y el canon literario quedó como estaba, sin embargo la gente quedó mas confundida. Y no obstante quedó mas contenta, porque la ignorancia sin duda deleita a quien no quiere enterarse de nada pero se emociona con todo. No hay nada más irónico que un Español o Hispanoamericano leyendo a Harold Bloom, porque Bloom no nos habla de literatura, sino de la idea de literatura que tienen los más altos representantes de la academia gringa, que es una idea paupérrima y pueril de literatura, propia de un libro de autoayuda para analfabetos. El daño que causa la indiligencia literaria al silencio de quienes deberían criticar este tipo de obras es enorme, no sé si es el silencio de quienes cobran por obedecer, si es la banda sonora de su ignorancia o si es la abulia natural en la que residen. Los anglosajones han destrozado la literatura en Español, ignorando absolutamente su significado e interpretación. El mundo académico anglosajon no tiene en este momento ninguna teoría literaria ni sistemática ni definida. Al contrario de lo que si ocurre en el Hispanismo, que si dispone de una crítica del racionalismo literario a disposición de sus lectores y de sus hablantes.

[@charles.e.g.]

Harold Bloom was a powerful supporter and advocate for the writings of Cervantes. Professor Bloom considered Don Quixote to be not only the greatest work of Spanish literature, but the greatest novel ever written by any author of any time or nationality.

[@3870822]

Loved the JK Rowling and Stephen King burn at the end. LOL

[@artieash6671]

What does ASMR stand for?

[@nicklasnicklas970]

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

[@kreek22]

His recitations of both poetry and prose miss the rhythms of the English language. I find it difficult to believe he could apprehend the wonderful cadence of a poem he mentioned, "Ulysses." He was aware of this issue. I wonder if he could recite Yiddish literature properly.

[@maolsheachlannoceallaigh4772]

A lot less bellicose than he seems from his writing.

[@_illustrate_]

Yeah, he says in many of his later interviews that his handful of brushes with death in his later years caused him to reflect on his brash and argumentative behavior.

[@randy7068]

Dude needed some Dristan nasal spray

[@youwhatnow]

A little too much lip-smacking methinks.

[@SirDankyMcMemerton]

There’s a point with lip smacking and cotton mouth that just drives me up a wall. This guy, John Butler, and Marvin Minsky all do it - a loud smack with every other word.

[@bradleynichols4909]

His medications cause him to have a dry mouth. Not his fault. He can and should be forgiven. It does not diminish his brilliance and scholarship

[@GavinusMaximusMaster]

I watched 10 minutes of this and felt like it was hours. This video is 2 hours??? I believe he only sleeps for 3 or 4 hours a night he is barely coherent

[@LlamaKingGaming]

I hope he realized that decaffeinated tea / coffee still has caffeine in it

[@CRtrain]

We were eagerly awaiting your comment. We stand corrected.

[@_illustrate_]

1:33:40

[@komicsreviewer8505]

I read online that he was totally racist. Is this true?

[@_illustrate_]

Harold is a Yiddish/Hebrew literary critic. That notion comes from his apathy towards the race or gender of an author. He chooses to disregard this and solely focus on the text itself, rather than give accolades simply for being a woman or being a minority. In his later years, Harold was quite vocal about his views on poverty and inequality in his hometown of The Bronx, New York. I don’t think he’s racist, but he’s been such a public figure for so long that there’s plenty of quotes and references that can be taken out of context. I hope that answered your question. :)

[@komicsreviewer8505]

@@_illustrate_ So he was basically a transphobe. Got it.

[@Azoria4]

@@komicsreviewer8505no, he’s the opposite. he doesn’t prioritise race or gender over CONTENT. If you do this, then you’re the racist and prejudicial one. Also why literature has been totally destroyed as an art form.

[@komicsreviewer8505]

@@Azoria4 its called progress dude.

[@Azoria4]

@@komicsreviewer8505 “progress” has caused literature to become a cess pit of self obsessed victim hood that has lost all artistic merit. all because people put their feelings above quality work.

[@jakeh2455]

The problem that I have with Bloom is that he favors “literature” and originality high above entertainment. Blood Meridian, by Corman McCarthy, is so obscure it’s not even funny. Anyone who reads that book knows this. But Bloom seamlessly calls it the best American novel by any living author. It seems to me this guy was a little pretentious. In other words, he would ask himself, “what books can make me look the smartest if I say I love them?”

[@nicklasnicklas970]

Cormac McCarthy is not as obscure as you think. Today, especially since his recent death, Blood Meridian has received quite a following, partially due to the Picador Classics publication. Blood Meridian I have not read, however from what I can tell it is an incredibly forward-thinking and impressive American novel. Bloom saw its publication and would have seen its effects firsthand and would have determined it to be a Great American Novel, especially since the whole concept of the GAN is to make a great social commentary on the country rather than to provide cheap entertainment, which is why often difficult works like The Grapes of Wrath and Moby Dick are cited as such. I believe Bloom was pretentious in the sense that he deliberately did look down upon certain fields of literature, but I think his comments about Meridian are justified, as he taught it numerous times at Yale in his “Why We Read” course. I’m sure he was very well-versed in the book.

[@jakeh2455]

@@nicklasnicklas970 Fair points. I guess I just have a personal animus towards the guy because he trashed Harry Potter. 😅 Happy reading!

[@nicklasnicklas970]

@@jakeh2455You too!

[@CriticalDispatches]

Blood Meridian is not obscure by any stretch of the imagination.

[@jakeh2455]

@@CriticalDispatches In my opinion, the book’s purpose is completely allegorical. There is very little plot, the ending is ambiguous, and the violence is over the top. Not to mention the lack of punctuation, which leaves somebody wondering why? When a book is meant to be allegorical, I think it’s fair to call it obscure..