On T. S. Eliot's Sense Of Tradition

As a modern poet, critic and playwright, Eliot attaches great importance to tradition. His sense of tradition is a united system which mainly involves his historical sense, strong religious beliefs and mythical methods. It represents an adherence to the past, a trend to go back to history, to adhere to tradition. History and past are viewed from the perspective of both the past and the present. To Eliot, literary tradition is kept through writers'impersonal creation and to become impersonal in writing, writers are obligated to constantly subject themselves to tradition, get rid of their individualism and still learn to sacrifice themselves. Tradition lays down the rules for literature. Any new work is not meaningful unless it follows the established rules. Social tradition, in Eliot's opinion, is established and maintained by an ideal social order. Religion and myth are two essential elements to ensure tradition and order.This paper consists of seven chapters. Chapter One introduces the research and its significance. In Chapter Two, concepts of tradition are discussed with different interpretations of tradition and analysis of the reasons for and the course of the formation of Eliot's sense of tradition. Also Eliot's theory of tradition and relation between writers and tradition are dealt with. Chapter Three presents Eliot's historical sense in his works and critical theories. It shows his pursuit of traditional culture. Chapter Four focuses on Eliot's strong religious beliefs. Chapter Five aims to find out the ubiquitous myth archetypes in his many works so as to justify his efforts in keeping tradition. Chapter Six goes to study briefly the combination of tradition and modernity on T. S. Eliot. Chapter Seven comes to the conclusion with the evaluation of the present study concerning its significance, its insufficiency and some suggestions for future studies.