Salient points in Eliot's 'Tradition and the Individual Talent'

          Introduction

As a critic T.S.Eliot was very practical. He called himself "a classicist in literature". According to Eliot, a critic must obey the objective standards to analyse any work. He thought criticism as a science. Eliot's  criticism became revolutionary at that time. 20 century got 'metaphysical revival' because of Eliot. He first recognised or accepted the uniqueness of metaphysical poets of 17th century. Eliot came with new ideas in criticism's world in 19th century. Eliot believed that when the old and new will become readjusted, it will be the end of the criticism. He says: "From time to time it is desirable that some critic shall appear to review the past of our literature and set the poets and their poems in a new order."

 Eliot demands, from any critic, ability for judgement and powerful liberty of mind to interpret. Eliot planned numerous critical concepts that gained wide currency and had a broad influence on criticism. 'Objective co relative', 'Dissociation of sensibility', 'Unification of sensibility, 'Theory of Depersonalization' are few of Eliot's theories, which becomes 'cliche' now. He emphasizes on 'a highly developed sense of fact'. He gave new direction and new tools of criticism. George Watson write about Eliot "Eliot made English criticism look different, but not in a simple sense. He offered it a new range of rheotrical possibilities, confirmed it in its increasing contempt for historical process, and yet reshaped its notion of period by a handful of brilliant institutions".

      Main concepts of the essay

The essay " Tradition and Individual Talent" was first published in "The Egoist". "The Egoist" was a literary magazine, which is considered today as "England's most important modernist periodicals". This essay was later published in " The Sacred Wood", which is Eliot's first book of criticism.

This is a is divided into three parts: The concept of tradition; The theory of impersonal poetry; The conclusion with a gist that "the poet sense of tradition and the impersonality of poetry are complementary things".

      1. The Concept of Tradition

In first part Eliot speaks about tradition. He says: " Seldom, perhaps, does the word (tradition) appear except in a phrase of censure". It means in English writings they don't see the word 'tradition' in positive way.

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 for their 'less' critically. In French there is a mass of critical writing. Eliot compares English with French that they (French) have a habit of critical method and English have habit of 'conclusion'. He says:           "...we only conclude (we are such unconscious people) that the French are more critical then we; are sometimes even plume ourselves a little with the fact, as if the French were less spontaneous".

According to Eliot the most individual part of any work is the part in which the dead poets are mirrored vigorously. So by this he asserts that tradition and individuality goes together. He says that if the form of tradition remained only in blind adherence of dead people or ancestors then it would be lost or such tradition should be destroyed. But, he says that tradition is not in following pre generation only. This word carries a much wider meaning. According to Eliot, in every traditions also there is a bit of novelty. He says: " Tradition is a matter of much wider significance. It cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour. It involves in the first place, the historical sense."

"No poet, no artists of any art has his complete meaning alone. His significance, is appreciation is of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You can't value him alone; you must set him, for the contrast and comparision among the dead. "

By this statement Eliotwants to prove that nothing can be individual in totality. Every poet or artist, consciously or unconsciously, keeps some bits of past. 

He rejects that belief that a poet requires a huge amount of learning. He believes that "much learning dead ends for perverts poetic sensibility". At the end of the past he starts making structure for present. So, at the end he says: 

     " The progress of an artist is a continual self-sacrifice, a continuoal extinction of personality".

  2. The Theory of Impersonal Poetry

In this second part Eliot tries to define the process of 'depersonalization' and its relation with the sense of tradition. The main aspect of this theory is the relation of poetry with the poet. Eliot says "Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry".

 According to Eliot the poet's mind is like a tare or utensil in which numerous feelings, phrases and images can be stored or seized. When a poet want them he utilizes them and unites them. It doesn't mean that the poem created by the poet show his personality or nature. He says: 

   "... the poet has not a 'personality' to express, but a particular medium, which is only a medium and not a personality... "

T. S. Eliot says that emotion in poetry remains very complex thing, and poet's own personal emotion may be simple or flat. A poet has not to find new emotions but he has to use ordinary emotions. Eliot twists 'emotion recollected in tranquility'. He says it 'an inexact formula'. To write poetry is a great deal.  Eliot says: 

" Poetry is not a turning toose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality but an escape from personality".

      3. Conclusion

At the end, in this third part Eliot says that this essay stops at the starting of mysticism. And it can be applied by the responsible person, who really interested in poetry. It is very hard thing to take interest in poetry and to keep a poet aside. We usually read poems with the name and fame of the poet. We cannot separate them from each other. Eliot says: 

   " There are many people who appreciate the expression of sincere emotion in verse, and there is smaller number of people who can appreciate technical excellence. But very few know when there is expression of significant emotion, emotion which has its life in the poem and not in the history of the poet".