Define criticism and give its function
Or
What according to T.S. Eliot is the function of a true critic?
In the function of criticism, Eliot has given his views on the definition, nature and function of literary criticism. He has also spoken about the qualifications and functions of a critic. These views can be reproduced as follows.
Eliot's views on criticism derive from his views on art and tradition. He defines criticism as 'The commentation and exposition of works of art by means of written words. Criticism has nothing to do with the social, cultural and religious problems of a country. Eliot agrees that criticism can never be an autotelic activity because criticism is always about something. Art may have other ends but criticism has only one definite end. It is the 'Elucidation of works of art and the correction of taste.
Eliot further says that critics should try to discipline their personal prejudices and whims. While rejecting Murry's views on criticism, Eliot remarks that romanticism believes in the 'inner voice' which means 'doing what one likes. Eliot comments that for those who believe in inner voices, criticism is of no value at all.
This is because the function of criticism is of no value at all. This is because the function of criticism is to discover some common principles for achieving perfection in art but those who believe in 'inner voice' do not want any principles. Eliot calls the inner voice 'whiggery'.
Eliot speaks about the relationship between criticism and creation. He blames Matthew Arnold for distinguishing the 'critical' activity from the creative activity. Arnold has not realise that criticism is of capital importance in the work of creation. According to Eliot, criticism employed by a writer on his own work is the highest kind of criticism.
Some creative writers are superior to others only because their critical faculty is superior. Eliot ridicules those who decry the critical toil of the artist and believes that the greater artist is unconscious. Thus, to Eliot, creation and criticism are complementary to each other, Eliot speaks about the qualifications of a critic.
The first and the most important qualification of a critic is that he must have a very highly developed sense of fact. The value of a practitioner's criticism lies in the fact that he is dealing with facts that he understands. Therefore, he can help us to understand them. The sense of fact is something very slow to develop.
According to Eliot, there is a large part of criticism which seeks to interpret an author and his work. However, most of this interpretation is no interpretation at II. It is mere fiction. The critic gives his impression of the work and so it is false and misleading. Eliot says:
"It is fairly certain that 'interpretation' is only legitimate when it is not an interpretation at all, but merely putting the reader in possession of facts which he would otherwise have missed.
According to Eliot, the true critic knows the facts about a work of art and puts them before his readers simply and easily. Herę, by 'facts’ Eliot means various technical aspects of a work of art.
Comparison and analysis are the two chief tools of the critic. However, these are only tools and the critic must use them with care and intelligence. Comparison and analysis can be possible only when the critic knows the facts about the works which are to be compared and analysed.
These facts include the technical elements like the structure, content, and theme of the work of art. According to Eliot, facts can not corrupt late on the contrary, impressionistic criticism Like that of Coleridge and Goethe is always misleading However, the critic should not be the slave of facts.
He should not bother about such trivialities as the laundry bills of Shakespeare. Eliot seems to be against the lemon-squeeze school of critics who try to squeeze every drop of meaning out of words. A critic should concentrate on the text, compare and analyse, but he should never stop to trivialities or empty hair-splitting.
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- Discuss She Stoops to Conquer as a Sentimental Comedy
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- Give an estimate of Goldsmith as a dramatist
- Contribution of Goldsmith as a Dramatist
