T. S. Eliot: Tradition and Individual Talent 

"Tradition and the Individual Talent" (1919) is an essay written by poet and literary critic T. S. Eliot. The essay was first published in The Egoist (1919) and later in Eliot's first book of criticism, "The Sacred Wood" (1920).[1] The essay is also available in Eliot's "Selected Prose" and "Selected Essays". 

While Eliot is most often known for his poetry, he also contributed to the field of literary criticism. In this dual role, he acted as a cultural critic, comparable to Sir Philip Sidney and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. "Tradition and the Individual Talent" is one of the more well-known works that Eliot produced in his critic capacity. It formulates Eliot's influential conception of the relationship between the poet and preceding literary traditions. 

This essay is divided into three parts:  

first the concept of "Tradition," then the Theory of Impersonal Poetry, and finally the conclusion. 

Tradition and Individual Talent: 

Eliot states that the word traditional is rarely talked about in terms of writing, except in a derogatory sense. At least, the word is seldom used to praise writers, either living or dead ones. This is because readers often look for the way a writer stands out from their predecessors before appreciating their work. Eliot seeks to remove this prejudice, claiming that the best parts of a poem are actually the ones that are alive with the past. 

However, by “following tradition,” Eliot does not mean imitating one’s most recent ancestors. Instead, he means that a traditional poet has a “historical sense” which makes them conscious of the whole past as if it were the present. Together, all poetry makes up a simultaneous whole that is changed by new poetry and guided by old poetry. Eliot goes on to claim that a critic cannot value contemporary poetry without setting it in relation to poetry of the past. The past and the present works measure each other, the new conforming to the old and the old adjusting itself to include the new. 

In Part II of his essay Eliot stated that true criticism criticizes the poem, not the poet. A poet is accomplished not because of how much personality they have, but because of how perfect a medium they are for combining feelings in new ways. This is like when a piece of platinum causes sulphur dioxide and oxygen to transform into sulphurous acid without itself being involved in or affected by the result. 

Throughout the essay, Eliot blames contemporary poets for not being traditional enough and poetry readers for not being critical enough. Here, he seems to be saying that, as critics, English readers have become too lenient. What they regard as spontaneity in their reading, Eliot contends, is actually a lack of honesty. Eliot says that criticism is “as inevitable as breathing,” which suggests that, if everyone were being honest with themselves when they read, they would naturally know what a good poem is. 

In short Eliot blames the Romantics and says that one must acquire historical senses first. He even states that “tradition cannot be inherited and involves a great deal of labour and erudition” personally I would agree with Eliot in this matter because it is nearly impossible to avoid any historical reference in the creative work. We can not create pure art because somewhere, someone has already got that idea or thought before us.

What do you understand by Historical Sense? 

Tradition is the gift of the historic sense. A. writer with this sense of tradition is fully conscious of his own generation, of his place in the present; but he is also acutely conscious of his relationship with the writers of the past. The historical sense in volves a perception, 

 "Not only of the pastness of the past, but also of its presence” 

One who has the historic sense feels that the whole of the literature of Europe from Homer down to his own day, including the literature of his own country, forms one continuous literary tradition. 

In brief, the sense of tradition implies a recognition of the continuity of literature, a critical judgment as to which of the writers of the past continue to be significant in the present, and the knowledge of these significant writers obtained through painstaking effort. Tradition represents the accumulated wisdom and experience of ages, and so its knowledge is essential for really great and noble achievements. 

Explain: "Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum".   

In this essay as Eliot argues that, all the writers must be learned scholars and should have the historical sense. He says that some can absorb knowledge because of their intelligence. Who are not inherited with this intelligence must sweat and involves into labour to acquire the knowledge.  he further discuses about Shakespeare, he was talented even though he never went to any university to get education but he acquired all the knowledge from works of Roman and Greek. Most of them were translated by Plutarch.