The book that made Harold Bloom famous was The Anxiety of Influence (1973). The concept of influence, which holds a central position in his theory, re-emerges in this current book (2011). The “Anatomy” has two main goals: to further explore the concept of influence and to substantiate it with more and more convincing examples.

The endeavor is realized by referring to the works of leading authors. A special emphasis is placed on Shakespeare (five chapters) and subsequently on Whitman (three chapters). The list is reinforced by drawing on other notable figures of the literary canon (e.g., Dante, Milton, Dr. Johnson, Shelley, from the classical tradition; Joyce, Stevens, Gates, Hart Crane, from the field of modernism; Merrill, Ashbery, Ammons, from the more recent).

To defend the aesthetics of his theory, Bloom appeals to Peirce and Wilde, and for the mystery of creation, as an influence among privileged subjects, he calls upon Emerson, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Freud.

However, The Anatomy of Influence is not a simple journey through the history of literature. It is a deep dive into the drama of imagination. The most important thing: it is a prompt to readers to engage with texts that add something beyond to their lives.