Harold Bloom - The Anxiety Of Influence. A Theo... -

The final stage where the new poet’s work is so strong it makes the precursor’s work sound like it was influenced by the new writer. ⚡ Key Takeaways

Bloom outlines six specific ways (or "ratios") that a new poet twists the work of a predecessor to make it their own:

Bloom argues that "great" writing is born from a writer's fear that they have nothing original to say. This creates a "Freudian" struggle between the (the established master) and the Ephebe (the new poet). Harold Bloom - The Anxiety of Influence. A Theo...

Milton struggled to find a voice that wasn't overshadowed by Shakespeare’s massive legacy.

A movement of self-discipline where the poet diminishes both themselves and the precursor to reach a lonely state of "solitude." The final stage where the new poet’s work

Eliot’s insistence on "impersonality" was a defensive reaction (Kenosis) against the Romantic focus on the self.

Writing is a competitive struggle for imaginative survival. Milton struggled to find a voice that wasn't

"Strong" poets successfully misread their predecessors; "weak" poets merely imitate them.