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Prose

Notes 29.5 Key-Words

Autotelic : having or being a purpose in itself, not dependent on other things for its
intention or usefulness.
Bacon : Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Elizabethan man of letters. His Essays and The
Advancement of Learning are good examples of early English prose.
Catalyst : in chemistry, a substance that without itself undergoing any change, starts a
reaction or increases the rate of a reaction; metaphorically, a person or thing
that causes change.
Epigrammatic : having the quality of an epigram, a short witty poem, proverb or expression.
Hobbes : Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), author of Leviathan, one of the earliest books of
political economy.
Iconoclast : literally, a person who breaks religious images used in worship. Now the
word is more commonly used for its metaphorical meaning, a person who
attacks cherished beliefs or established reputations.
29.6 Review Questions

1. How far do you agree with Eliot’s view that poetry is not an expression of personality but an
escape from personality ?
2. Discuss Eliot’s view of the relationship between the individual poet and the tradition.
3. Write a short note on Eliot’s concept of history.
4. Write short notes on
(a) dissociation of sensibility
(b) objective correlative.
5. Write a critical commentary on Eliot’s essay, “The Metaphysical Poets.”
Answers: Self-Assessment
1. (i) 1920 (ii) 1923

29.7 Further Readings

1. Kermode, Frank. “Dissociation of Sensibility : Modern Symbolist Readings of
Literary History” from The Romantic Image (1957). Reprinted in Literary Criticism:
A Reading. Ed. B. Das and J.M. Mohanty. Delhi : Oxford University Press, 1985.
2. Wellek, Rene. A History of Modern Criticism 1750-1950 Vol. V. New Haven : Yale
University Press, 1986.
3. Wimsatt, W.K. “Genesis : A Fallacy Revisited.” Reprinted in On Literary Intention:
Critical Essays. Ed. David Newton-de Molina. Edinburgh : Edinburgh University
Press, 1976.

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