Discuss Eliot’s impersonal theory of poetry.
Tradition and the Individual Talent is a notable literary work by T. S. Eliot. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Tradition and the Individual Talent.
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Discuss Eliot’s impersonal theory of poetry. [2020]
T. S. Eliot (1888–1965) was one of the most important poets and critics of the twentieth century. In his essay “Tradition and the Individual Talent” (1919), he presents his famous impersonal theory of poetry. Eliot argues that poetry should not be a direct expression of the poet’s personal emotions or feelings. Instead, it should be a carefully made piece of art. He says the poet’s duty is to create beauty, not to express himself. Let us discuss Eliot’s impersonal theory of poetry below.
Poetry as an Escape from Emotion: Eliot’s theory of impersonality is a strong reaction against the Romantic poets like Wordsworth, Shelley, and Keats. Romantic poets believed that poetry comes from the poet’s inner feelings and imagination. Wordsworth even said that poetry is—
“The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”
Eliot completely disagrees with this idea. He argues that true poetry is not an expression of emotion but a transformation of it. He writes,
“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion.”
This means that a poet should not directly write about his personal feelings. He must rise above his personal feelings and create something that can speak to everyone. Poetry should be impersonal and universal, not personal and emotional.
The Poet’s Mind as a Catalyst: To explain how poetry should be created, Eliot uses a comparison. He compares the poet’s mind to a catalyst in a chemical reaction. For example, when oxygen and sulfur dioxide are mixed in the presence of a platinum catalyst, they form sulfurous acid. The platinum helps the reaction but does not change itself. Moreover, the newly formed acid contains no trace of platinum. In the same way, the poet’s mind combines different emotions and experiences to produce a new poem. But the poet himself remains unchanged — his personality does not appear in the poem. So, Eliot says:
“The mind of the poet is
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