Question

What does Eliot mean by “impersonality” in poetry?

• A. The poet’s work should be free of personal feelings and experiences.
• B. The poet should write anonymously.
• C. The poet should mimic others’ work.
• D. The poet’s personality should dominate the work.

Answer 1

Answer:

A. The poet’s work should be free of personal feelings and experiences.

T.S. Eliot's theory of impersonality in poetry states that poets should not express their personal emotions, but instead express universal truths. Eliot believed that poetry should be an escape from personality, and that the poet should be a vessel for tradition. 

• Personal feelings

  Eliot believed that poets should transform their personal feelings into impersonal statements. 

• Universal truths

  Eliot believed that poetry should express universal truths, not the poet's personal beliefs. 

• Criticism

  Eliot believed that readers should criticize poems, not the poets who wrote them. 

• Tradition

  Eliot believed that poets should immerse themselves in the works of past poets and express the sense of literary tradition. 

• Language

  Eliot believed that poets should use the vernacular speech of their era, and avoid artificiality. 

• Imagery

  Eliot believed that poets should use definite and specific imagery.