T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) was one of the greatest poets and critics of the twentieth century. In his essay “Tradition and the Individual Talent” (1919), he explained the relationship between a poet and the past. His idea of “historical sense” is at the centre of this essay. It shows his classical attitude toward literature. For Eliot, a poet is not separate from the past. He must understand the whole tradition of poetry that came before him and feel its living presence in his own work. The “historical sense” joins the past and the present together in a single, continuous tradition.

Meaning of Historical Sense: Eliot says that a true poet must have a “historical sense.” It means the poet must feel that the great works of the past are not dead but still alive in the present. Eliot writes, 

“The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence.”

This means that when a poet writes, he should feel that all the poets of the past — Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton — are living with him. His new poem should not destroy the past but should fit into that old order and add something new to it.

Relationship Between Past and Present: According to Eliot, the past and the present are not separate. They have a living relationship. The past helps to shape the present, and the present also changes the way we see the past. He says,

“The past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past.”

The Poet’s Responsibility to Tradition: Eliot believed that a poet must have knowledge and discipline to understand the tradition. This is not easy. The poet must spend his life studying and feeling the works of the past. He must know the “main current” of literature, not just one period or one poet.

However, Eliot also warns that the poet must not imitate the past. Blind imitation makes poetry lifeless. The “historical sense” helps him to balance both — to respect the old and to create the new.

Historical Sense Makes the Poet Modern: Eliot also says that having a historical sense does not make a poet old-fashioned. In fact, it makes him truly modern. The poet who knows the past deeply becomes more aware of his own time. He can see what is new and special about his own age only when he understands what came before it.

Eliot says that a poet with a historical sense lives in “the present moment of the past.” In other words, he keeps the past alive in the present through his poetry. In this way, tradition and modernity exist together through the poet’s “historical sense.”

In conclusion, Eliot’s idea of the “historical sense” shows his classical mind and his love for order and continuity. He believed that a great poet is not born in isolation but grows out of the long history of literature. The poet must live both in the past and in the present. The past gives meaning to his art, and his art keeps the past alive. In this way, Eliot’s “historical sense” joins all poets of all ages in one great living tradition of art.