Tradition and the Individual Talent (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: T. S. Eliot
- First Published: 1919
- Type of Work: Essay
- Genres: Nonfiction, Essays
- Subjects: Tradition, Authors or writers, Literature, Art or artists, Poetry or poets, Writing, Emotions, Creative process
“Tradition and the Individual Talent,” one of Eliot's early essays, typifies his critical stance and concerns; it has been called his most influential single essay. Divided into three parts, appearing in The Egoist in September and December, 1919, the essay insists upon taking tradition into account when formulating criticism—“aesthetic, not merely historical criticism.”
Eliot opens the essay by revivifying the word “tradition” and arguing that criticism, for which the French were then noted more than the English, in his view “is as inevitable as...
[The entire page is 633 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
