Examine Bloom’s use of Shakespeare in determining the canonicity of other authors and works. What qualities or techniques in Shakespeare become criteria for other artists?

Bloom uses the framework of Giambattista Vico’s Scienza Nuova (1725) to organize his canon into literary “Ages.” Compare or contrast two of these ages: Aristocratic, Democratic, or Chaotic. How does this framework impact Bloom’s analysis?

Bloom’s theory of the anxiety of influence plays a significant role in his essays. How does the anxiety of influence build over the course of The Western Canon? How does the text explore the nature and impact of this anxiety in art?

Bloom argues against the “School of Resentment,” dismissing the significance of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation in forming the canon. What does Bloom’s identity reveal about his decisions on whom to include or exclude from the canon?

Pick any two essays from the text and compare Bloom’s use of the term “strangeness.” How does “strangeness” present in the two chosen essays, and what does it reveal about the authors Bloom discusses in them?

Examine Bloom’s decision to write about the Western canon and his arguments against multiculturalism. What do these terms reveal about Bloom’s canon? What arguments can be posed against Bloom’s conception of the canon and what it should represent?

The Appendices of The Western Canon provide an extensive list of works Bloom feels belong in the Western canon. Select an author and compare him/her to one of the featured writers in the collection. To what extent do they demonstrate, or fail to demonstrate, qualities such as “strangeness”?

Analyze Bloom’s views of education and literary study. How does he conceive of the role and value of education? How does his conception impact his selection and presentation of his chosen works?