What according to Eliot, is the right Relation between Tradition and Individual Talent?

TS Eliot was the most towering and dominating man of letters of the twentieth century. He was a versatile genius who during his long span of productive activity achieved distinction as a poet, playwright journalist and critic. Eliot stands in the long line of poet-critics beginning with Ben Jonson, and including such names as Dryden, Jonson, Coleridge and Matthew Arnold Both from the point of view of the bulk and quality of his critical writings, Eliot is one of the greatest of literary critics of England. Eliot has written more than five hundred critical essays and articles. They have had a far-reaching influence on the course of literary criticism in the country. George Watson rightly says-

Eliot made English criticism look different though not in a simple sense. Impressed by Eliot as a dazzling critic, John Hayward comments:

"I can not think of a critic who has been more widely read and discussed in his own life, and not only in English but in almost every language except Russian throughout the civilized world."

'Tradition and Individual Talent' is one of the popular essays in literary criticism. The essay may be regarded as an unofficial manifesto of Eliot's critical creed. This is because it contains all those critical principles from which his criticism has been derived ever since. The seeds which have been sown here come to fruit in his subsequent essays. As the little of the essay indicates, it has given much importance to 'tradition' and individual talent The essay is divided into three parts.

In the first part, the conception of tradition is given, and the second part deals with Eliot's theory of the impersonality of poetry. The third and comparatively shorter part is in the form of 'Summing up. the views of Eliot on the importance of Tradition and Individual Talent can be discussed as follows.

According to Eliot, the word 'tradition' is generally regarded as a term of censure. It sounds disagreeable to the English ears. The English praise a poet for those aspects of his work which are individual and original. It is supposed that his chief merits lie in such part. Thus, the English give an undue emphasis on the individuality of the poet. This shows that if they examine the matter critically, they will realise that the best part of a poet's work is that which shows the maximum influence of the writers of the past. To quote Eliot's own words:

Whereas if we approach a poet without this 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."

Then Eliot considers the value and significance of tradition. According to him, tradition does not mean a blind adherence to the way of the previous generations. It would be a mere slavish imitation. It would be mere repetition of what has already been achieved Tradition in the sense of passive repetition is to be discouraged.

For Eliot, tradition is a matter of much wider significance Tradition, in the true sense of the term can not be inherited. It can be obtained only by hard work This work is the labour of knowing the past writers. It is the critical labour of shifting the good from the bad. It is the labour of knowing what is good and what is useful.

According to Eliot, tradition can be obtained only by those who have a historical sense, and feel that the whole of the literature of Europe, From Rome to his century, forms one continuous literary tradition. He realises that the past exists in the present and that the past and present form one simultaneous order.

This historical sense is the sense of the timeless and the temporal together It is this historical sense which makes a writer traditional A writer with the sense of tradition is fully conscious of his own generation and of his place in the present. But he is also acutely conscious of his relationship with the writers of the past. In short, the sense of tradition implies the following facts

(a) A recognition of the continuity of literature.

(b) A critical judgement as to which of the writers of the past continues to be significant in the present, and

(c) A knowledge of these significant writers obtained through painstaking efforts Thus, tradition represents the accumulated wisdom and experience of ages. So its knowledge is very essential for noble achievements.

Eliot further remarks that no writer has his value and significance in isolation to judge the work of a writer or a poet, we must compare and contrast his work with the work of poets and artists in the past. Süch comparison and contrast are essential for forming an idea of the real worth and significance of a new writer and his work. Thus, Eliot's conception of Tradition is 'a dynamic one.

To him, Tradition is not anything fixed and static. It is constantly changing It continuously grows and becomes different from what it is. A writer in the present must seek guidance from the past. He must conform to the literary tradition. Eliot says that the past directs and guides the present.

In the same way, the present alters and modifies the past. When a new work of art is created, the whole literary tradition is modified slightly. The relationship between the past and the present is not one-sided. It is a reciprocal relationship. The past directs the present. It is also modified and altered by the present. To quote Eliot:

"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; for order to persist after the supervention of novelty, the whole existing order must be, if ever so slightly.

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

In the opinion of Eliot, the work of a poet in the present is to be compared and contrasted with the works of the past. They should be judged by the standards of the past. But this judgement does not mean determining good or bad it does not mean deciding whether the present work is better or worse than works of the past.

An author in the present is certainly not to be judged by the principles and standards of the past. The comparison is made for knowing the facts about the new work of art It is made for analysis and they better understanding of the new work of art. Moreover, this comparison is reciprocal.

The past helps us to understand the present and the present throws light on the past. It is in this way alone that we can form an idea of how we can shift the traditional from individual elements in a given work of art. Thus, the function of tradition is very typical. It is meaningful. It explains the importance of both tradition and individual talent. In fact, the tradition and the individual talent go hand in hand.

Eliot then explains what he means by a sense of tradition. According to him, the sense of tradition does not mean that the poet should try to know the past as a whole, and take it to be a lump or mass without any discrimination. Such a course is impossible and undesirable. The past must be examined critically Only the significance in it should be acquired. The sense of tradition also does not mean that the poet should know only a few poets who he admires. This is a sign of only to know some immaturity.

The poet also should not be content on the particular age which he likes. This may be delightful but it will not constitute a sense of tradition. Eliot explains that a sense of tradition really means consciousness of the main current. This means that to know the tradition, the poet must judge critically what are the main trends and what are not. He must confine himself to the main trends. He must possess the critical gift in ample measure.

He must also realise that the main literary trends are not determined by the great poets only. Small poets also can be very significant so they should not be neglected. According to Eliot, the poet must realise that art never improves though its material is never the same. The mind of Europe may change.

However, this change does not mean that great writers like Shakespeare and Homer have grown outdated. The great works of art never lose their significance. This is because there is no qualitative improvement in art. There may be a refinement or development but not an improvement.

Finally, Eliot says that it is the duty of the poet to acquire the knowledge of the past and he must continue to acquire the consciousness throughout his career. Such awareness of tradition sharpens poetic sensibility and is indispensable for poetic reaction. Thus, Eliot has expressed his valuable views about tradition. He has given typical meaning to tradition. Eliot is of the view that both individual talent and Tradition are significant but tradition is more important.

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What according to Eliot, is the right Relation between Tradition and Individual Talent?