]Text:Tradition and the individual Talent (1920)
Task: analyse: a) the structure of T.S. Eliot's essay; b) the content; c) your opinion about it.
OBJECTIVES
Cultural:
Intertextual:
Linguistic:
In the present essay t. S. Eliot presents his conception of tradition and the definition of the poet and poetry. He formulates his conception of the relationship between the poet and the literary tradition which preceedes him.
In Eliot's opinion the term "tradition" represents a simultaneous order, by which Eliot means a historical timelessness, to be more precise, a fusion of past and present. Tradition involves the historical sense, that compels a man to write with a feeling that the whole of the literature has a simultaneous existence and composes a simultaneous order. But historical sense is not only a resemblance to traditional works, it is also an awareness and understanding of their relation to his poetry.
The main idea is that, to do something new poets must consider not only contemporaneity, but even the past. A poet must embody "the whole of the literature of Europe from Homer," while, simultaneously, expressing his contemporary environment. A writer can't be valued alone, he must be set among the dead. Doing a new work of art what happens is something that happens simultaneously to all the works of art which preceded it. As a matter of fact when a poet engages in the creation of new work, he realizes an aesthetic "ideal order," as it has been established by the literary tradition that has come before him. As such, the act of artistic creation does not take place by anything. The introduction of a new work alters the cohesion of this existing order, and causes a readjustment of the old to the purpose to accommodate the new.
The old work order must be readjusted because the present is directed by the past. The poet has a difficult work: he is aware of great difficulties and responsibilities.
We can summarize all the concepts in this short expression: every writing is a kind of rewriting. Revision is the most neglected part of the writing process. In order to write something new, I think it is necessary to revisit the past. In my opinion a good writer must consider this aspect. As a matter of fact if we consider the most important authors, everyone is conscious that writing is a rewriting. I'm in agreement with Eliot's theory of literary tradition, in my opinion it is very realistic and gets the main points of what writing means.