FUNCTION OF CRITICISM

By T.S Eliot

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 INTRODUCTION

 Published in 1923

 Basically a response to Middleton Murry’s essay

‘Romanticism and the Tradition’

 The essay revisits Tradition and Individual Talent, opposes

the views of Murry and describes the function of literary

criticism and a good critic

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 PARTS OF THE ESSAY

 Part – I deals with Eliot’s views on critic and the critical

work of art

 Part – II deals with Murry’s views on Romanticism and

Classicism and Eliot’s contradiction with it

 Part – III deals with Eliot’s criticism of Murry

 Part – IV deals with the relation of criticism with creative

work of art

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 Tradition And The Individual Talent

 Art must be understood in the context of previous pieces

of art
 An artist or poet must be judged by the standards of the
past
 Value of work of art must be viewed in the context of the
artist’s previous works
 Good poems constitute “not a turning loose of emotion but
an escape from emotion”

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 PART – I Eliot’s Views On Critic And The Critical Work Of Art

 Criticism is not an auto telic activity

 Creative work of art requires great efforts and hard work
 Art do not require to be aware of ends, and indeed performs
its functions
 Art is beyond the ends and open so that you can interpret it
any time
 Writer must write spontaneously without any particular aim in
mind

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 PART – I Eliot’s Views On Critic And The Critical Work Of Art

 A good criticism is the elucidation of works of art and the

correction of taste
 Ultimate aim of every critic is to enlighten the mind of the
reader
 A critic must compose differences with the other critics rather
than being a blind follower
 A critic should justify the importance of text for future
generations

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 Part – II John Middleton Murry’s Essay &
Eliot’s Contradiction
 According to Murry, Classicism and Romanticism cannot go side
by side, both differ very clearly and no one could follow both at
the same time
 He says that Classicism is the feature of French and
Romanticism is the feature of England. Romanticism is more
important for him
 Eliot criticizes Murry’s views because he is not giving significance
to Classicism
 He has also related Catholicism to classicism for believing in
tradition and Protestantism to Romanticism for believing in
liberalism
 He speaks about full faith in inner voice and no restriction to
follow outside authority. Eliot objected by stating that concept of
inner voice is like advocating doing what one likes
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Difference Between Classicism And
Romanticism According To Eliot

Classicism

Complete

Orderly Adult Chaotic

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 Part – III Eliot’s Criticism of Murry &
Function of Criticism
 Function of criticism is to quest for some common principles
for the perfection of art
 This function can only be served when the tradition of art is
followed
 Thus someone believing in the “inner voice” could not value
criticism
 He calls inner voice “wiggery” means Liberal(characteristics
of a Whig)(characterized by a belief in inevitable progress,
and tending to evaluate the past by the standards of the
present)

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Part IV:Relation of Criticism with creative
work of art
 Criticize Arnold and Murry who consider criticism better
than creative work of art
 Critical Activity is important for any work of creation
 Critical labour by author in composing his work includes
the labour of sifting, combining, correcting, testing
 Highest kind of criticism is that which is done by writer
himself for his creative work of art
 He says that some writers are better creative and
superior to others, only because their creative faculty is
superior to others

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 Function of Criticism

 Good criticism is the elucidation of the world of art and the

correction of taste

 It is not an auto telic activity, it requires great effort and

hard work

 Creative work is judged through its words

 Enlighten the mind of the readers

 A critic must compose differences from others

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 Function of Criticism

 Should justify the importance of text for future generation

 Function of criticism is to quest for some common
principles for the perfection of art
 This function can only be served when the tradition of art is
followed
 Criticism and creative work is related with each other
 Highest kind of criticism is that which is done by writer
himself for his creative work of art

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 Function of Criticism

 By criticism Eliot means analysis of literary work

 True purpose of critic is to present the technical facts of
the work
 A true critic is objective and open minded
 A critic must be knowledgeable about the ‘facts’ related
to a work of art
 A critic should have highly developed sense of tradition
 A critic should understand the connection of past to the
present
 Therefore the function of criticism is to inform or educate
and not to judge

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