"Strong" poets successfully misread their predecessors; "weak" poets merely imitate them.
Milton struggled to find a voice that wasn't overshadowed by Shakespeare’s massive legacy. Harold Bloom - The Anxiety of Influence. A Theo...
Total originality is a myth; all poems are "inter-poems" written in response to others. "Strong" poets successfully misread their predecessors
Accessing a power or "daimon" that supposedly predates the precursor, bypassing them entirely. Harold Bloom - The Anxiety of Influence. A Theo...
The poet "completes" the precursor’s work, suggesting the original didn't go far enough.
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
A "swerve" away from the precursor, implying the original poem went wrong at a specific point.