Question

What does Eliot mean by the “extinction of personality” in poetry?

• A. The poet should avoid expressing personal emotions in their work.
• B. The poet should erase their individuality entirely.
• C. The poet’s personal life should be the focus of the poem.
• D. The poet should mimic other writers.

Answer 1

Answer:

A. The poet should avoid expressing personal emotions in their work.

T.S. Eliot's idea of “extinction of personality” in poetry is the process of an artist surrendering their individuality to the literary tradition. This process involves the artist depersonalizing their emotions and passions, and becoming more objective and impersonal. 

• Eliot believed that a poet's progress is a constant process of self-sacrifice and extinction of personality. 

• He believed that the poet's personality is a medium, like a catalyst, through which the poem is created. 

• Eliot believed that a poet's emotions and passions should be depersonalized, and that the poem should be impersonal and objective like a scientist. 

• Eliot believed that a poet should be absorbed in acquiring a sense of tradition and expressing it in their poetry. 

• Eliot believed that a good poem is a living whole of all the poetry that has ever been written.