The Metaphysical Poets

Essay | T. S. Eliot

How did Eliot assess Johnson as a critic of the metaphysical poets?

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How did Eliot assess Johnson as a critic of the metaphysical poets NU Or What is Eliot s assessment of Johnson as a critic of the metaphysical poet NU T S Eliot was a poet and critic His essay The Metaphysical Poets was published in Eliot writes about Johnson's views on poets He shares his own thoughts on Johnson as a critic Let us analyze the assessment Johnson's Criticism Johnson judged the metaphysical poets' style harshly He thought their ideas were forced together Johnson said The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together He did not like their strange wordplay He preferred simple and natural poetry Johnson's comments became very famous Eliot's View Eliot strongly disagrees with Johnson's view He does not think metaphysical poetry is strange or weak Instead he admires its unique style and depth Eliot believes Johnson focused too much on form Besides he did not

focus enough on feeling or thought In his essay Eliot points out The effect is due to a contrast of ideas different in degree but the same in principle It is about Johnson's poem The Vanity of Human Wishes but connects it with the metaphysical poets This quote means the metaphysical poets use different images However the basic idea is the same as in other poems Eliot says their poetry is built on real emotions and true experiences Their ideas may seem new but their method is not wrong Missed Unity Eliot says Johnson did not see unity Metaphysical poets joined thought and feeling This strength was ignored by Johnson Johnson looked only at the outside He missed the heart of the poems Eliot's Preference Eliot respects the metaphysical poets more He values their skill and deep ideas He thinks they brought new life to poetry Johnson's criticism did not understand their greatness In short Eliot thinks Johnson did not judge fairly He believes Johnson missed unity and creativity Eliot's ideas help students see the real value of these poets

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