T.S. Eliot's idea of “extinction of personality” is the idea that an artist must surrender their individuality to the literary tradition and the creative process. This process of depersonalization allows the artist to create a poem that is impersonal and objective, and that expresses the tradition rather than the poet's personal feelings.
Eliot believed that the artist's progress is a continual self-sacrifice and extinction of personality.
The artist must allow the past to shape their poetic sensibility and acquire a sense of tradition.
The artist's emotions and passions must be depersonalized so that the poem is impersonal and objective, like the work of a scientist.
The artist's personality is like a medium or receptacle that receives images, phrases, and feelings, which are then combined into a new “art emotion”.
The poet's personality is not relevant to the poem, and true criticism and appreciation should be based on the poem itself, not the poet.
