Understanding Harold Bloom's Clinamen in Anxiety of Influence

Harold Bloom, a highly influential literary critic, introduced groundbreaking ideas about poetry and its history in his seminal work, The Anxiety of Influence: A Theory of Poetry. Published in 1973, this book explores the complex psychological struggle poets face with their strong predecessors.

Bloom argues that poets do not simply build upon the work of earlier poets; instead, they must actively confront and "misread" them to create their own original space. This struggle, driven by an "anxiety of influence," manifests through various "revisionary ratios" or strategies that the later poet employs to differentiate themselves from the earlier one.

One of the key revisionary ratios discussed by Bloom is 'clinamen'. Bloom borrows this term from Epicurean philosophy, where it referred to the unpredictable swerve of atoms. In Bloom's literary theory, 'clinamen' describes the initial move a later poet makes to diverge from their precursor.

What is Clinamen According to Harold Bloom?

In the context of The Anxiety of Influence, Harold Bloom defines 'clinamen' as a "poetic misprision." Let's break down what this means:

• Poetic: Relating to poetry and its composition.
• Misprision: A misreading, misunderstanding, or misinterpretation.

So, 'poetic misprision' is a deliberate or unconscious misreading of the precursor poet's work. The later poet, influenced by the earlier one, performs a sort of "swerve" away from the precursor's ideas, style, or themes. This swerving is not a sign of weakness but a necessary act of self-preservation and originality for the new poet.

Bloom describes 'clinamen' as a corrective movement, a way for the later poet to imply that the precursor went "right up to a certain point" but then "should have swerved." By performing this swerve (clinamen), the later poet is able to correct or complete the precursor's work in their own unique way, thus clearing imaginative space for themselves.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the options provided in the context of Bloom's definition of 'clinamen':

• poetic hyperbole: Hyperbole is exaggeration for effect. While poets use hyperbole, it is not Bloom's specific definition of 'clinamen'.
• poetic misprision: As discussed, this is precisely the term Bloom uses to define 'clinamen'. It represents the swerving or misreading of the precursor.
• poetic sublime: The sublime relates to feelings of awe, grandeur, and power, often associated with Edmund Burke or Longinus. While poetic works can evoke the sublime, 'clinamen' is not defined as the sublime itself by Bloom; it's a strategic move within the process of influence.
• poetic supplement: The idea of a "supplement" is often associated with philosopher Jacques Derrida, representing something added that is simultaneously extra and essential. Bloom's framework uses different terms like 'clinamen', 'tessera', 'kenosis', etc., not 'supplement' in this specific definitional context for 'clinamen'.

Therefore, based on Harold Bloom's theory in The Anxiety of Influence, 'clinamen' is defined as poetic misprision.

Revision Table: Harold Bloom's Key Concepts

Additional Information: Bloom's Six Revisionary Ratios

Beyond 'clinamen', Harold Bloom outlines five other revisionary ratios in The Anxiety of Influence. These six ratios form a sequence representing the later poet's complex engagement with the precursor:

• Clinamen: A swerving or misreading.
• Tessera: Completion and antithesis; the later poet feels the precursor did not go far enough and completes the work in opposition.
• Kenosis: A breaking or emptying; the later poet seems to humble themselves but is actually emptying the precursor's influence.
• Daemonization: A counter-sublime; the later poet finds a private source of power or inspiration to oppose the precursor's sublime.
• Askesis: Curtailment; the later poet limits their own scope to separate themselves from the precursor.
• Apophrades: Return of the dead; the later poet writes so strongly that their work seems to have influenced the precursor's work itself.

Understanding 'clinamen' as poetic misprision is fundamental to grasping the initial move in this intricate process of poetic influence as described by Harold Bloom.