The Metaphysical Poets

Essay | T. S. Eliot

What method does Eliot suggest for the assessment of the poets wrongly called the metaphysicals by Johnson?

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What method does Eliot suggest for the assessment of the poets wrongly called the metaphysicals by Johnson What would such a method lead to NU S Eliot - was a famous modern critic and poet In The Metaphysical Poets Eliot writes about groups of English poets Dr Samuel Johnson - another critic called some poets metaphysical But Eliot says Johnson was not always correct Eliot suggests a new method to assess these poets He believes this will lead to better understanding Let us analyze Eliot s ideas Johnson s Classification Problem Dr Samuel Johnson grouped some poets as metaphysical Johnson thought these poets were sharp but sometimes too clever He believed their poems forced ideas together Johnson often judged them by style not by meaning He said The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together This means Johnson saw their images as unnatural He focused on strangeness not true

poetic value Eliot disagrees with this way of judging He thinks the label metaphysical is often used wrongly Eliot s Suggested Method Eliot does not accept Johnson s views blindly He suggests a different method of assessment Eliot says we should look at the poets sensibility Sensibility means the way a poet joins thought and feeling Eliot believes this is the key to understanding poetry He writes The poets of the seventeenth century possessed a mechanism of sensibility which could devour any kind of experience This quote shows Eliot s method is about depth not surface style He says critics should study how poets think feel and put things together Assessment should focus on the unity in their work Not only on clever words or strange ideas Comparing Poets Through Their Experiences Eliot suggests comparing the poets experiences He asks critics to see how poets use life s events Good poets join many things together in their work Eliot writes When a poet s mind is perfectly equipped for its work it is constantly amalgamating disparate experience This quote supports his advice for critics Instead of looking at only one poem look at many See how different life parts show in their lines This helps us find real value It shows which poets have true creative power Sensibility is what matters most in this method Looking for Unity Not Just Wit Eliot wants critics to search for unity He does not want them to judge only by wit or oddity Poets power comes from mixing emotions thoughts and images Eliot admires poets who can blend things smoothly He mentions it as Fidelity to thought and feeling This quote tells us to check a poet s honesty Are they true to life and emotion If yes they are strong poets even if called metaphysical Critics should stop using labels without real study True value comes from strong united poetry What Will Eliot s Method Lead To Eliot explains the result of his method Assessing poets by sensibility changes how we see them Many poets wrongly grouped together would be better understood Critics would see their unity and depth Poetry study would become fairer and richer Eliot s way would rescue some poets from a bad name It would stop the unfair use of the label metaphysical Readers could then discover more beautiful and brave poems Poetry as a subject would be more exciting and true To sum up Eliot disagrees with Johnson s way of judging poets He suggests judging them by unity of mind and feeling or sensibility This method finds deeper truth in poetry It leads to a better more honest study of poets Eliot s idea is still helpful for students and poetry lovers today

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