What does T.S. Eliot mean by the historical sense?
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.
Answer
What does T.S. Eliot mean by the historical sense? [2018] ✪✪✪
The idea of historical sense is a creative and unique one in T.S. Eliot’s (1888-1965) essay “Tradition and the Individual Talent” (1919). It is one of his most significant contributions to modern criticism. By this term, Eliot means a special awareness that connects the past with the present.
Awareness of Past and Present: Eliot says that the historical sense makes a poet realize that the past is not dead. It still lives in the present. He writes,
“Tradition is a matter of much wider significance. It cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour.”
This means that tradition must be earned through study and effort. A poet with the historical sense feels that all literature (from Homer to his own time) exists together.
Unity of Literature: Eliot believes that the historical sense makes a poet part of a living tradition. He realizes that no poet has meaning alone. Eliot says,
“No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone.”
Every poet is judged in relation to past writers. When a new work appears, it changes the whole order of literature.
Critical Knowledge and Balance: The historical sense also gives a poet critical power. It helps him to know what to take from the past and what to leave. He learns that blind imitation is useless. He must develop knowledge, taste, and discipline. The poet becomes mature only when he uses the wisdom of the past to express his own time.
In short, Eliot’s historical sense unites tradition and individuality. It teaches poets to respect the past while creating the new. This sense makes a poet conscious of his time and his duty to literature.