“Tradition and the Individual Talent” is infused with a new idea about emotion in poetry. The author, T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), believes that poetry is not the expression of personal emotion but the transformation of emotion into art. For him, the emotion of art is pure, controlled, and impersonal.

Artistic Emotion: Eliot says the poem’s feeling is crafted, not simply felt. He clearly states, 

“The emotion of art is impersonal.” 

Catalyst Process: Eliot uses the platinum example to show artistic making. Like platinum, the poet’s mind enables fusion, yet remains unchanged. Different feelings meet and form a new, single artistic emotion. This fusion happens under the pressure of intense creative concentration. Personal emotion becomes material, not the final poetic message. Thus, the poem’s emotion is objective, complete, and inwardly ordered. The poet’s self stays outside the final poetic product.

Escape and Control: Eliot opposes Wordsworth’s “emotion recollected in tranquillity” as inexact. He maintains that poetry comes through concentration, not cosy remembrance. He writes, 

“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion.” 

In short, Eliot’s view of emotion in art teaches discipline and impersonality. The poet must change raw feeling into artistic expression. Only through this transformation can poetry become pure, timeless, and truly beautiful.