Discussing Few Questions Regarding T. S. Eliot's 'Tradition and Individual Talent.'
☆ Preface : In this blog I am going to discuss a few questions in light of Thomas Stearns Eliot's most influential essay 'Tradition and Individual Talent' which was first published in 'The Egoist,' the 'Times Literary supplement' (1919) and later in Eliot's first book of criticism, "The Sacred Wood" (1920). The essay is also available in Eliot's 'Selected Prose' and 'Selected Essays.'
Question 1 : What do you understand by Historical Sense?
Answer : I would like to explain the two remarkable quotations taken from 'Tradition and Individual Talent' as response to the question.
• "The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence."
In aforementioned quotation, we find the phrase 'pastness of the past' along with its applicability to the prevalent scenario of the time and times. The 'pastness' here is referred to as the limited and defunct function of the conventions gone by, because it is no more applicable and accepted by the present standards and way of living.
So, the gist of the matter is that when the 'pastness' of the past still continues to permeate in the present time, then it becomes the matter of interest upon which a true critic or a literary writer is supposed to lock the eyes and minds of him/her. In his own words he asserts the prominence of the ancient writers of the forerunners in various schools of literature :
"Whereas if we approach a poet without his prejudice, we shall often find that not only the best, but the most individual parts of his work may be those in which the dead poets, his ancestors assert their immortality most vigorously."
Now moving on to the second quotation, let us further the answer.
• "This historical sense, which is a sense of the timeless as well as of the temporal and of the timeless and of the temporal together, is what makes a writer traditional."
Here Eliot seems to be endorsing the ancient parameters of literary writings set by the Greek and Roman poets. It is a fact that whatever one is writing is bound to resonate somewhere in the history of that national literature. For instance, we have W. H. Auden's 'The Shield of Achilles' in which the context is of modern times but reference dates back to the epic war of 'Iliad' written by Greek poet Homer.
The poet who has the ability to sense the presentness of the past, also understands that the responsibility to proliferate the literary tradition laid by the ancient masters must not fall of any sort of deficiency.
If we compare the quotation to the social dynamics as well, we can also find that the rites and customs we do not need in the present time are still recurring as and when the incidents occur. Some rotten rules are still bindings a certain community of people to enjoy their existence as human beings in social dynamics, although have been assigned the freedom in the law - yet not in the minds and conscience of people of so & so community.
Question 2 : Explain : "Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum."
Answer : Eliot rightly puts forth the argument in favour of the indifference towards achieving goal. The education is the only thing that none can inherit but as put by him that it is gained by working hard on it. We can refer to one the best Sanskrit verse which reads :
'न चोर हार्यं न च राज हार्यं न भ्रातृ भाज्यं न च भारकारि |
व्ययं कृते वर्धत एव नित्यं विद्याधनं सर्वधन प्रधानम् ||'
The aforementioned verse or Shloka is translated as follow :
'It cannot be snatched away by a robber, cannot be snatched away by king, cannot be divided amongst the brothers, Not heavy to carry. If spent daily, it always keeps growing. The wealth of knowledge is the most precious wealth amongst everything.'
Eliot has taken fine paradigm of the Bard of Upon-Avon - William Shakespeare. He went to nature for the inspiration, he studied the nature - both : of the humans and, of the foliage and woods. He thus eulogized the nature and became superior to those who are only interested in cramming up the events and dates of the history taking the insight of the happened events for granted.
Question 3 : Write two points on which one can write critique on 'T.S. Eliot as a critic'.
Answer : Well, there are not only praises of the essay but appraisal along with bitter reviews by several critics who have been displayed later on the popularity of Eliot's essay.
Harold Bloom presents a conception of tradition that differs from that of Eliot's. Whereas Eliot believes that the great poet is faithful to his predecessors and evolves in a concordant manner, Bloom (according to his theory of "anxiety of influence") envisions the "strong poet" to engage in a much more aggressive and tumultuous rebellion against tradition.
Another thing we find is that he opposes the Romantic Theory of self-expression by providing a new direction in the world of literary criticism. Let us have a slight look at Eliot's theoratical drawbacks and problems with some ideas he provided to ascertain his arguments.
(1) He stated that the poets in present era are indebted to the ancient ones, so far it can be affirmed, but when he furthers this by telling that the present poets' works are better to be judged against those of the ancient masters, this can be problematic thing, for he himself gives examples of Shakespeare to cherish individual talent. This contrast is obvious in his theory of 'pastness of the past.'
(2) His undercurrent support to Euro-centricism is one of the controversial topics regarding his criticism. But at the same time we should not forget his treatment to non-European literature like 'Mahabharata' which is an oriental epic. So this remains the to-the-day argued point as far as his treatment of the global literature is concerned in his essay.
Answer : I would like to explain the two remarkable quotations taken from 'Tradition and Individual Talent' as response to the question.
• "The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence."
In aforementioned quotation, we find the phrase 'pastness of the past' along with its applicability to the prevalent scenario of the time and times. The 'pastness' here is referred to as the limited and defunct function of the conventions gone by, because it is no more applicable and accepted by the present standards and way of living.
So, the gist of the matter is that when the 'pastness' of the past still continues to permeate in the present time, then it becomes the matter of interest upon which a true critic or a literary writer is supposed to lock the eyes and minds of him/her. In his own words he asserts the prominence of the ancient writers of the forerunners in various schools of literature :
"Whereas if we approach a poet without his prejudice, we shall often find that not only the best, but the most individual parts of his work may be those in which the dead poets, his ancestors assert their immortality most vigorously."
Now moving on to the second quotation, let us further the answer.
• "This historical sense, which is a sense of the timeless as well as of the temporal and of the timeless and of the temporal together, is what makes a writer traditional."
Here Eliot seems to be endorsing the ancient parameters of literary writings set by the Greek and Roman poets. It is a fact that whatever one is writing is bound to resonate somewhere in the history of that national literature. For instance, we have W. H. Auden's 'The Shield of Achilles' in which the context is of modern times but reference dates back to the epic war of 'Iliad' written by Greek poet Homer.
The poet who has the ability to sense the presentness of the past, also understands that the responsibility to proliferate the literary tradition laid by the ancient masters must not fall of any sort of deficiency.
If we compare the quotation to the social dynamics as well, we can also find that the rites and customs we do not need in the present time are still recurring as and when the incidents occur. Some rotten rules are still bindings a certain community of people to enjoy their existence as human beings in social dynamics, although have been assigned the freedom in the law - yet not in the minds and conscience of people of so & so community.
Question 2 : Explain : "Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum."
Answer : Eliot rightly puts forth the argument in favour of the indifference towards achieving goal. The education is the only thing that none can inherit but as put by him that it is gained by working hard on it. We can refer to one the best Sanskrit verse which reads :
'न चोर हार्यं न च राज हार्यं न भ्रातृ भाज्यं न च भारकारि |
व्ययं कृते वर्धत एव नित्यं विद्याधनं सर्वधन प्रधानम् ||'
The aforementioned verse or Shloka is translated as follow :
'It cannot be snatched away by a robber, cannot be snatched away by king, cannot be divided amongst the brothers, Not heavy to carry. If spent daily, it always keeps growing. The wealth of knowledge is the most precious wealth amongst everything.'
Eliot has taken fine paradigm of the Bard of Upon-Avon - William Shakespeare. He went to nature for the inspiration, he studied the nature - both : of the humans and, of the foliage and woods. He thus eulogized the nature and became superior to those who are only interested in cramming up the events and dates of the history taking the insight of the happened events for granted.
Question 3 : Write two points on which one can write critique on 'T.S. Eliot as a critic'.
Answer : Well, there are not only praises of the essay but appraisal along with bitter reviews by several critics who have been displayed later on the popularity of Eliot's essay.
Harold Bloom presents a conception of tradition that differs from that of Eliot's. Whereas Eliot believes that the great poet is faithful to his predecessors and evolves in a concordant manner, Bloom (according to his theory of "anxiety of influence") envisions the "strong poet" to engage in a much more aggressive and tumultuous rebellion against tradition.
Another thing we find is that he opposes the Romantic Theory of self-expression by providing a new direction in the world of literary criticism. Let us have a slight look at Eliot's theoratical drawbacks and problems with some ideas he provided to ascertain his arguments.
(1) He stated that the poets in present era are indebted to the ancient ones, so far it can be affirmed, but when he furthers this by telling that the present poets' works are better to be judged against those of the ancient masters, this can be problematic thing, for he himself gives examples of Shakespeare to cherish individual talent. This contrast is obvious in his theory of 'pastness of the past.'
(2) His undercurrent support to Euro-centricism is one of the controversial topics regarding his criticism. But at the same time we should not forget his treatment to non-European literature like 'Mahabharata' which is an oriental epic. So this remains the to-the-day argued point as far as his treatment of the global literature is concerned in his essay.
Thank you!
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