Introduction
Thomas Stearns Eliot is one of the noble names among the great poets ever produced in English Literature. But he is also a renowned critic, a devotee to classicism. Before his contribution to poetry and criticism, poetry was lingering in its chaotic form. Poets were (blindly) trying to imitate the revolt of Romanticism. Therefore, a new poetic doctrine was unevitable to be established. So, T S Eliot came forward with his own judgement of poetry as an outcome of both traditional and individual talent. The essay has been divided into three parts. The first one deals with the explanation of Tradition while the second part evaluates the Theory of Impersonality and the third part consists of a conclusion.
What is Tradition?
Tradition, in common sense, means the ever-developing set of customs and ideologies of a nation or a group of nations. But for Eliot, tradition is something that links the present with the past. Eliot adds the sense of history to tradition. Eliot gives his insight on literary tradition as thus,
Not only of the pastness of the past, but also of its presence. One who has the historic sense feels that the whole of the literature of Europe from Homer down to his own day, including the literature of his own country, forms one continuous literary tradition.
Eliot asserts that in literary tradition, the present is the product of the past and the past dependent on the present to be discovered. Manifestly, tradition is:
- The acknowledgement of the continuity of literature from past to present.
- A critical evaluation of the significance of old writers in the present age.
- The knowledge of those old writers attained through a great struggle.
Eliot also asserts that the old tradition of literature is followed by a new one, slightly altered according to the trends of the present day. For example, the poetry of Virgil, Dante and Shakespeare helps to form a new trend in the poetry that should be written in the coming years.
What is Individual Talent?
Individualism means subjectivity. Subjectivity is associated with the Romantics because they infused their personal emotions into poetry. Eliot does not agree with the Wordsworthian concept of poetry - a spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions. Eliot, however, suggests:
The business of the poet is not to find new emotions, but to use the ordinary ones.
Individuality in Eliot's terms, is not about subjectivity. It is about being impersonal - removing the personality of the poet from the genius he is intended to compose. Eliot gives the example of a chemical reaction between sulfur dioxide and oxygen under the catalyst of platinum. As a result of the reaction, sulfuric acid is released as the final product but the catalyst remains unchanged. Similarly, a poet composes a poem by attaining the subject(s) through the hard labour under the sense of (historical) tradition. During the process of composition, a poet does not add something that may show his personality just like we do not see platinum mixing in sulphur. in this experiment of poetic creation, the mind of the poet is the catalyst. Thus, the individual talent of a poet is to compose a poem as an "individual" piece from his poetic personality.
Criticism
Eliot has, no doubt, revolutionized the poetic landscape of the twentieth century through his critical essay, But his criticism has received much criticism by other literary figures for not explaining inadequate terms about tradition. A literary figure, Harold Bloom disagrees with Eliot's remarks on Romantic Poetry which he terms "dissociation of sensibility". This is not true because Romantic poetry does appreciate the beauty of nature and a (temporal) escape from the harsh realities of life. Another point of Eliot critics argue about is his idealization of European culture and history as a mamendatory requirement for becoming a poet. However, Eliot himself praised the genius of Eastern civilization. For instance, his acknowledgement of Mahabharta.
Conclusion
Despite the criticism, Eliot's concept of tradition and individual talent was a remarkable step in breathing a new life in the "dull" poetic landscape. Surely, excessive learning kills the element of delight in a poetic composition but learning differs from person to person. Therefore, this essay is a somewhat sound but an unofficial manifesto of T. S. Eliot.
Sources and Suggested Readings
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradition_and_the_Individual_Talent
- https://interestingliterature.com/2017/02/a-short-analysis-of-t-s-eliots-tradition-and-the-individual-talent/
- http://www.literary-articles.com/2010/02/what-does-t-s-eliot-mean-by-tradition.html
- http://www.askliterature.com/literary-criticism/how-does-t-s-eliot-conceptualize-tradition-and-how-can-it-be-acquired/
- Literary Criticism - Current Notes - Page 186
