Tradition and Individual Talent by T. S. Eliot

               Hello! I am divya parmar. In this blog I m discuss about the essay, " Tradition and Individual Talent" by 'T. S. Eliot'. I am writing this blog to complete the task activity given by dilip sar. 

➡️ Who is T. S. Eliot ? 

               Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. Considered one of the 20th century's major poets, he is a central figure in English-language Modernist. 

➡️ Understand of the essay :

              T. S.  Eliot's essay tradition and individual talent which forms an integral part of 20th century literary criticism. 'Traditional and The Individual Talent' is a literary essay written by T. S. Eliot. It was first published in 1919 in the literary journal 'Egoist'. it was later published in Eliot's first book of criticism called the sacred wood. T. S. Eliot has him self confessed that he is "A classicists in Literature A royalist in politics and an Anglo-catholic in religion." In Tradition and the individual talent Eliot discusses his views on poetry and the importance of tradition. 

The essay is devided into 3 parts : 

1. concept of 'Tradition'

2. Theory of 'Impersonal Theory'

3. conclusion

1. Concept of 'Tradition' :

               Eliot Feels that nowadays people tend to look at the word tradition in a very disapproving way. People tend to praise a poet for those elements in his prints that are filled with newness and that differentiates him from others. 

               According to Eliot tradition means a historical sense which compels the poet to write not merely with his own generation in his bones. But with a feeling that the whole of past Literature of Europe, starting from Homer is within him. This historical sense is what makes the writer traditional and it is more important than the individual poet. 

               Historical sense means that the poet should have a sense of the history of poetry. For example,21st century poet like today's poet must know about all the great poets and about all the great points that have been written before him. According to T. S. Eliot. " The must valuable parts of a poet's work are those in which the " The dead poets,his ancestors asserts their immortality vigorously." For example, if a 21st century poet writes a poem that has the reflection of Shakespeare or wordsworth or T. S. Eliot it will be considered a valuable piece of work. people will see that this poem has the reflection of Shakespeare. It feels as is Wordsworth has written it but that does not mean that the point is copping wordsworth or shakespear! It simply means that the poem has the reflection of Shakespeare's work on wordsworth's work. It just reminds people of all those great poets of the past. 

               T. S. Eliot believes that there is a dynamic relationship between the past and present writers. The point will be judged by standards on the past. Eliot wants the poet to merge his personality with the traditional. 

2. Theory of ' Impersonal Theory' 

               According to Eliot In order to create a great poem one should sacrifice one self. Eliot say that the progress of the artist is a  continuous self-sacrifice, a continual extinction of personality. This is called depersonalization: The continual surrender of the personality of the poet to the art and tradition of poetry. Eliot demonstrates this through a chemical reaction. According to Eliot, ' The mind of the poet is like a  catalyst. when a piece of platinum which is the catalyst is introduced in a gas chamber containing oxygen and sulphur dioxide, they combine to form sulphuric acid but the platinum (catalyst) stays unchanged. The mind of the poet is like the catalyst is platinum. The feelings and emotions are oxygen and sulphur dioxide and the result sulphuric acid is the way the mind of the poet creates various compounds but he stays sepreates from the creation according to T. S. Eliot the mind of the poet is "A receptacle for seizing and stroing up countless feelings, images, phrases." 

               It is not the greatness of emotion that matters. But the intensity of the artistic. process, the pressure under which the artistic fusion takes place that matters. T. S. Eliot completely dismisses the romantic theory of self-expression the experiences of a poet that were important to him as a man do not find much of place in his poetry. And all those elements in his poetry that are important to him has nothing to do with the personality of the poet. Therefore  Eliot completely dismisses William Wordsworth's theory. According to T.S.Eliot, "Poetry is not turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion . it is not expression of personality, but an escape from personality." 

               Eliot says that emotion of art is impersonal. It has nothing to do with the personal life of a poet. For example, there are some people who writes poem when they are very sad they express all their personal sadness all the personal emotions in the poem so they are following William Wordsworth's theory which says that poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility whereas you can find some great poets who write about various themes. Such as the pain of the child labour surviving a natural disaster which has nothing to do with their personal life so these poets are following Eliot theory which says that poetry is not the expression of personality but rather an escape from personality. The artist can achieve this personality only by cultivating the 'Historical sense' by being conscious of the 'Poetic Tradition.' 

               According to Eliot every poem should be objective. Every poet should be objective and impersonal. 

Word count: 942