T,S Eliot :Tradition and Individual talent

T.S Eliot

• He was born 1888 and died 1965
• He was a great critic, poet,playwright and journalist.
• Eliot come with new ideas in criticism`s world in 19th century.
• Eliot`s criticism became revolutionary at that time.
• he was very practical man.
• 20th century got 'metaphysical' revival because of Eliot.
• Because he was the first person who recognized or a accepted the uniqueness of metaphysical of 17th century.
• Eliot planned  numerous critical concepts that a broad influence on criticism.
• Objective co-relative, Dissociation, of sensibility, unification of sensibility, theory of Denationalization etc.

  

• TRADITION INDIVIDUAL TALENT ESSAY: 
  The essay was first published in The Egoist.                       
   The Egoist was a literary magazine.which is considered today as England's most modernist periodical.This essay was later publish in The sacred wood Which is Eliot`s first book of criticism.              .
 

1) conception of tradition: He says about Englishmen`s attitude towards french literature. Englishmen have a habit to feel proud on themselves. That is the proud for their creativity and more less practicality. In french there is a mass of critical writing. Eliot compares English with french that they have habit of critical method and English have a habit of conclusion. 

           We only conclude that the french are more critical than we and sometimes even plume ourselves a little with the fact as if the french were less spontaneous.

        Eliot say criticism is as inevitable as breathing
        He  admire those aspects which are different from the poets predecessors

     They want uniqueness.The always find isolation of the poet from his immediate processor.
     
such resemblance is mostly seen in the period of maturity of  the poet, not in the period of adolescence.
so,by this he asserts that tradition and individuality go together.
The historical sense is inevitable for any poet. Then Eliot talks about tradition and historical sense He says that if the from of tradition remained only in blind adherence of dead people or ancestors, then it would be lost or such tradition should be destroyed.According to Eliot in every traditions also there is a bit of novelty.Tradition is a matter of much wider significance. It can not be inherited,and if you want it you must obtain it by great lab our.It involves in the first place, the historical sense.  The historical sense forces a man to write not only by the own generation, but with the whole age of English litterateur.It harmonizes two different things timeless and temporarily in poet`s work.No poet no artist of any art has his complete meaning alone. His significance,his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation of  the dead poets and artists. you can not value him alone,you must set him,for contrast and comparison among the dead.Conformity between the old the new. The whole order of existing moment is readjusted with addition of new work.so,by this unchangeable.The past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past.A poet can not use past as a sapless mass.The dead writers are remote from ua because we   know so much more thane they did.He talks about necessary of knowledge for poets. He rejects that belief that a poet requires a huge amount of learning. He believes that much learning deadens or perverts poetic sensibility. He is not in favour of confining the knowledge for examination, library or publicity.The progress of an artist is a continual self sacrifice,a continual extinction of personality.

2)Theory  of  impersonal of poetry :Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.Eliot compares criticism with science. There are two gases needed : oxygen and sulfur dioxide. and also they must have the presence of filament platinum.He compares this palpation with the poet.In this whole process the filament of platinum plays vital and inevitable role.But yet that role is indirect. In that process platinum remains inert and unchanged.It should give its total contribution in creating poetry, also it should remain unaffected and separate when  poetry has come out.According to him The poet`s mind is like a utensil in which numerous feeling,phrases and images can be stored or seized. When a poet wants them he unites them. It does not mean that the poem created by the poet shows his personality or nature.This balance of constructed demotion is in the dramatic situation to which the speech is pertinent,but that situation alone is inadequate it.Every time poet`s own emotion can not be taken place in the poem. A poet has to use ordinary emotions.Poetry is a great deal.When a poet becomes personal while writing poetry,he will be considered as a bad poet.Because, he becomes unconscious, where he should be concision.When a poet escapes from his personality,then the great poem comes.He says; poetry is not a turning loose of emotion,but an escape from emotion,it is not the expression of personality.

 3)Conclusion:    It is very hard thing to take interest in poetry to keep a poet aside.we usually read poem with the name and fame of the poet. We can not separate from each other.A poem must know that to reach the level of impersonation,he first has to scarifies himself and has to surrender himself totally to that work.