The function of criticism - T. S. Eliot

The function of criticism

- T. S. Eliot

       This essay is an outcome of the controversy created in the year 1919. It is actually a response to Murray’s essay on Eliot’s essay of “Romanticism and Tradition”. 

      In this essay he showcases the relationship between past and the present, in the world of literature one cannot say that which of them is superior in nature because both are depended as well as independent in nature.

      The past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past. Any writer and his/her importance are considered by looking into the tradition. According to Eliot,

“Criticism can never be an auto-telic activity”

      Eliot says, criticism is the analysis of the works of literary nature. Criticism always has to be about something and its goal should give proper explanation of all the literary texts. Sometimes critic differs from each other because of their personal biases. Eliot believes that all the critics should co-operate in order to criticise a particular text. Any criticism and the method of criticism should be according to the nature of the work.

      In the second part of this essay, Eliot talks about Murray’s view on classicism and Romanticism. According to Murray,

“Classical writer cannot be a romantic writer.”

      Eliot does not agree with this matter that English people are romantics and French people are classics. 

     In the later part of this essay Eliot discusses the problem in criticism and goes against the view of Matthew Arnold. Matthew Arnold differentiated between critical and creative writing. According to Eliot criticism is also of equal importance and any critic has to be creative in order to criticise text. Some of the critics are capable of criticizing their own works. They believe that with the criticism their work becomes more correct and structured. He continuously argued that critical and creative writings cannot be separated. (Matthew Arnold) 

  

     According to Eliot the most important qualification of any critic is that he or she should be able to recognize the importance of facts and that is a rare quality. The critic should get into the details of the texts. Any critic or artist should surrender and sacrifice him or herself in order to get meaning of the texts. He or she should make sure that they are united together for a common agenda. This is the quality of the first rate artist whereas the second rate artist does not believe in this and works in completely opposite direction.

      Art always has a pre-decided conclusion by the illustration of the works of art and the correction of taste. It may happen that there are differences in opinion but all the differences should be respected or should be worked upon in close connection.

      In the third part, Eliot completely was against the views of Murray as it is all about the discovery of some common principle in order to achieve perfection in art. The artist who believes in the inner voice is not only aware about the tradition and the wisdom and the experiences but also of the present which can be extremely advantageous.

      In the fourth part, as we have written earlier, there is no difference between a critical writer and a creative writer, both of them are almost the same as the larger part of the labour of an author in composing is in the critical labour and any writer who can criticise his own work is the highest kind of criticism. 

Qualification of a good critic:

- In order to be a good critic one has to develop an extraordinary sense of fact about the work of art, the conditions, the settings and mannerism. 

- Any critic has to be good in comparison and analysis about the theme, plot and technical aspects like the structure and the content of all of them, they should be taken together in order to interpret it.

- Facts are not always beneficial because they can be misleading. Facts should be in close connection to what you are writing upon.

- A good critic has to be extremely objective in nature and should have a scientific attitude by following all the above mentioned points.

- Eliot strongly believes in all the concepts of individuality and originality but in a different manner that is by respecting the tradition and its co-operation to design the present.

Reference: Literary Criticism A Reading by  B. Das and J. M. Mohanty