T.S.Eliot's Theory of Tradition and Individual Talent

Q.1:     Tradition and Individual Talent' -Eliot's Theory of Poetry and The Poetic Process, Impersonality of Poetry,

Ans.    The essay “Tradition and Individual Talent” may be regarded as an unofficial manifesto of Eliot's critical creed, for it contains all the critical principles of Eliot.

The essay is divided into three parts. The first part gives us Eliot's concept of tradition, and the second part deals with his theory of the impersonality of poet. The short third part is the conclusion, of the whole discussion.

T. S. Eliot begins his essay by pointing out that the word 'tradition' is generally regarded as a term of censure. He says the word tradition sounds disagreeable to the English ears. When the English praise a poet, they praise him for those aspects of his work which are most 'individual' and original. They suppose that his chief merits lie in such parts. This undue stress on individuality shows that the English have an uncritical bent of mind. They praise the poet for the wrong thing. If they examine the matter critically with an unprejudiced mind, they will realise that the best and the most individual part of a poet's work is that which shows the maximum influence of the writers of the past. He says:

"if we approach a poet without 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."

After this Eliot comes to the consideration of the value and significance of tradition. According to Eliot, Tradition does not mean a blind adherence to the ways of the past. This would be mere slavish imitation, a mere repetition of what has already been achieved, he believes that

"novelty is better than repetition".

He says that Tradition in the sense of passive repetition is to be discouraged. For Eliot, Tradition is a matter of much wider significance. He says that Tradition in the true sense of the term cannot be inherited; it can only be obtained by hard labour. This labour is the labour of knowing the past writers. It is the critical labour of knowing what is good and useful in the past. Tradition can be obtained only by those who have the historical sense. The historical sense involves a perception,

"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’.”

 He thinks that the past exists in the present, and both the past and the present form one simultaneous order. This historical sense is the sense of the timeless and the temporal, together. According to Eliot, it is this historic sense which makes a writer traditional. A writer with the sense of tradition is fully conscious of his own generation, his place in the present, but at the same time he is also acutely conscious of his relationship with the writers of the past. In short, the sense of tradition implies (a) a recognition of the continuity of literature, (b) a critical judgment as to which of the writers of the past is still significant in the present, and (c) a knowledge of these significant writers through a hard and pain staking effort. Tradition represents the accumulated wisdom and experience of ages; therefore, its knowledge is essential for really great and noble achievements.

While emphasising further on the value of tradition, Eliot says that no writer has his value and significance in isolation. To judge the work of a poet or an artist, we must compare and contrast his work with the work of the past. Such comparison and contrast is essential for forming an idea of the real worth and significance of a new writer and his work. Eliot's concept of tradition is dynamic one. According to his view, tradition is not anything fixed and static, it is constantly changing, growing, and becoming different from what it is. A writer in the present must seek guidance from the past, however, he must try to conform to the literary tradition. But just as the past directs and guides the present, so the present alters and modifies the past. When a new work of art is created, if it is really new and original, the whole literary tradition is modified, though very slightly. Eliot says that the relationship between the past and the present is not one-sided; it is a reciprocal relationship. The past directs the present, and it itself is modified and altered by the present. Eliot says:

"The existing monuments form an ideal order among themselves, which is modified by the introduction of the new work of art among them. The existing order is complete before the new work arrives; with the introduction of new work, the whole existing order must be, though very slightly, altered."

Every great poet like Virgil, Dante, or Shakespeare, adds something to the literary tradition out of which the future poetry will be written.

The work of a poet in the present is compared and contrasted with works of the past, and it is judged by the standards of the past. But this judgment does not mean determining good or bad. It does not mean deciding whether the present work is better or worse than the works of the past. Though an author in the present is certainly not to be judged by the principles and standards of the past, yet the comparison is made for the purposes of analysis, and for forming a better understanding of the new. Moreover, this comparison is reciprocal. The past helps us to understand the present, and in the same way it throws light on the past. In this way we can form an idea of what is really individual and new.

Now, Eliot explains further what he means by the sense of tradition. The sense of tradition does not mean that the poet should try to know the past as a whole. Such a labour is impossible as well as undesirable. The past must be examined critically but only the significant in it should be acquired. The sense of tradition does not also mean that the poet should know only a few poets whom he admires. It will be a sign of immaturity and inexperience. Neither should a poet be content merely to know some particular age or period which he likes. Though it will be pleasant and delightful, yet it will not constitute a sense of tradition. A sense of tradition in the real sense means,

“consciousness of the main current, which does not all flow invariably through the most distinguished reputations."

In other words, to know the tradition, the poet must judge critically what are the main trends and what are not, incidental or topical. He must possess the critical gift in measuring. He must also realise that the main literary trends are not determined by the great poets alone. Smaller poets are also significant. They are not to be ignored, at all.

The poet must also realise that art never improves, though its material never remains the same. The mind of Europe may change, but this change does not mean that great writers like Shakespeare and Homer have grown outdated and lost their significance. The great works of art never lose their significance, for there is no qualitative improvement in art. There may be refinement, and development, but from the point of view of the artist there is no improvement. For example, it is not correct to say that the art of Shakespeare is better and higher than that of Eliot. Their works are of different kinds, for the material on which they worked was different.

T.S. Eliot was conscious of the criticism that would be made of his theory of tradition. His view of tradition required, a ridiculous amount of erudition for there had been great poets who were not learned, and further that too much learning kills sensibility. However, according to Eliot knowledge does not merely mean bookish knowledge, and the capacity for acquiring knowledge differs from person to person. Some can absorb knowledge easily, while others must sweat for it. But he thinks that it is the duty of every poet to acquire, to the best of his ability, the knowledge of the past, and he must continue to acquire this consciousness throughout his career. Such awareness of tradition sharpens poetic sensibility and is indispensable for poetic creation.

Points to Remember:

1.                  Introduction.

2.                  Three parts of the essay.

3.                  Word tradition.

4.                  Value and significance of tradition.

5.                  Sense of tradition.

6.                  Compare and contrast.

7.                  Criticism.

8.                  Conclusion.

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