kerry bolton t.s. eliot

8/12/2019 Kerry Bolton T.S. Eliot

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T. S. Eliot, Part 1Kerry Bolton

from http://www.counter-currents.com/2012/09/t-s-eliot-part-1/

Wyndham Lewis !ortrait of ". #. $liot 19%&

World War ' (rou)ht to a clima* a cultural crisis in Western +i,iliation that had (een proceedin) forcenturies when in the #pen)lerian sense oney o,erwhelmed "radition1 or to resort e,en to Karlar* the (our)eoisie supplanted the aristocracy.2 'ndustrialiation accentuated the process of

commercialiation with its concomitant ur(aniation and the disruption of or)anic (onds and socialcohesion which has thrown societies into a state of perpetual flu* with culture reflectin) thatcondition.

"his wasand isa pro(lem of the primacy of +apital. 'f ar*ism is the most well-nown supposedopponent of +apital to which many of the literati turned especially in the aftermath of the 3reat Warothers who turned to the 4i)ht re5ected capitalism not only on the (asis of economics (ut moreimportantly in a transcendent sense (y re5ectin) the Zeitgeistof +apital of which ar*ism was merelya reflection rather than an alternati,e. 6mon) these was ". #. $liot one of the most influentialluminaries of contemporary $n)lish literature.

"homas #tearns 7". #.8 $liot was (orn in #t. Louis issouri on #eptem(er 2 1&&&. e attended

ar,ard ;ni,ersity erton +olle)e ealandpoets 4e* ?air(urn and 3eoffrey !otoci de ontal and many others on the colonial peripheries of$uropean ci,iliation $liot sou)ht out whate,er was left of the cultural epicenter and settled to$n)land in 191@ (ecomin) a naturalied British su(5ect in 192A. "he uestion of $liotCs settlin) in$n)land and (ecomin) a naturalied Briton stries to the heart of the crisis of $uropean culture and ofalienation. !eter 6croyddespite his con,entional lac of insi)ht in summatin) $liotCs concern a(outad,ancin) (ar(arismdoes pro,ide some rare insi)ht on the cultural alienation that was (ein) felt (y$liot and others:

"o what territory or tradition did he (elon) is another uestion and one in
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which he himself found it difficult to resol,e: in a letter to er(ert 4ead heremared how he . . . did not (elie,e himself to (e an 6merican at all. e wasa 7resident alien8. . .

is sense of (ein) an alien in 6merica was (y no mean uniue howe,er. $ra!ound used much the same terms to descri(e his own position in the ;nited#tateshe was he said (rou)ht up in a place with which his fore(ears had no

connection. But they were not simply aliens in one community or anotherDthey were estran)ed from the country itself. "hey )rew up in a time of )reatethical and social confusionthe intercontinental railways were chan)in) theshape of the country 5ust as the ,ast tide of immi)rants from southern andeastern $urope was radically reformin) the ideas of what an 76merican8 was."his was a society which fostered no li,in) or coherent tradition a society(ein) created (y industrialists and (aners and (y the politics and the reli)ionwhich ministers to them for those who feel themsel,es to (e set apart andwho ha,e found in their readin) of literature a sense of life and of ,alues nota,aila(le to them in their ordinary li,es there is a terri(le emptiness at such atime . . . the conseuence was that !ound and $liotand also near

contemporaries . . . sou)ht to create tradition of their own . . .%

#ince then the 7cultural pessimism8 that arose in the aftermath of World War ' has shown itself to (erealism and the world has (ecome 76merica8 under the impress of what is o,ertly promoted as7)lo(aliation.8 oney and standardiation rei)n supreme. "he "raditionalist has few recourses otherthan self-e*ile and isolation or seein) out lie company in frin)e mo,ements. owe,er for $liot and!ound $urope still offered opportunities.

"ain) employment as a schoolteacher and then with Lloyds Ban in "he +ity $liotCs first pu(lished,olume of ,erse wasPrufrockin 191A. The Waste Landfollowed in 1922. e was (y then anesta(lished literary fi)ure: in 1922 he founded the small (ut influential literary 5ournal The Criterionand was appointed Eirector of ?a(er &?a(er the pu(lishin) house a position which he retained

throu)hout his life. 'n 19% Collected Poems 19091935was pu(lished.6s a playwri)ht his wors includeurder in the CathedralF19%@G The !amil" #eunionF19%9G TheCocktail Part"F19@0G The Confidential ClerkF19@HG and The $lder %tatesmanF19@9G. 6 (oo of,erses for children ld Possum's (ook of Practical Cats was pu(lished in 19%9.

$liot was also a renowned critic. 6 collection of his essays and re,iews was pu(lished in 1920 entitledThe %acred Wood. %elected $ssa"sappeared in 19%2 The )se of Poetr" and the )se of Criticismin19%% What is a Classic*in 19H@ n Poetr" and Poetsin 19@APoetr" and +ramain 19@1 and TheThree ,oices of Poetr"in 19@%. 'n particular $liotCs social and political criticism is found in-fter%trange .odsF19%HG (ased on a lecture to the ;ni,ersity of Iir)inia in 19%%D The /dea of a Christian%ociet"F19%9G andotes Toards the +efinition of CultureF19H&G. "hese three essays are particularlyco)ent e*pressions of $liotCs criticism of li(eralism and commercialism and his apolo)ia of "radition.

'n 19H& $liot was awarded the


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particular (y the historical doctrine of


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"he rats are underneath the piles."he 5ew is underneath the lot.oney in furs."he (oatman smiles.

"he followin) year $liot e,oes the stereotypical Jewish landlord in 73erontion8:

ere ' am an old man in a dry monthBein) read to (y a (oy waitin) for rain.' was neither at the hot )ates=or fou)ht in the warm rain=or nee deep in the salt marsh hea,in) a cutlassBitten (y flies fou)ht.y house is a decayed house6nd the 5ew suats on the window sill the owner#pawned in some estaminet of 6ntwerpBlistered in Brussels patched and peeled in London.9

6)ain a Jewish character is portrayed in less than flatterin) terms in 7#weeney 6mon) the

=i)htin)ales8:"he silent ,erte(rate in (rown+ontracts and concentrates withdrawsD4achel ne4a(ino,itch"ears at the )rapes with murderous paws . . .10

"he common theme that emer)es in the Jewish characters of $liotCs ,erse is that of the cosmopolitan,ul)ar Jew who epitomied 7new wealth8 and (ou)ht his way into hi)h society (ut was prefera(lyept at armCs len)th (y $n)landCs 7old money8 who saw the wealthy Jews as ha,in) the thinnest,eneer of culti,ation. 't is certainly why $liotCs characteriation would not ha,e (een )reeted with theoutra)e that it met in post-war years.


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eraldass why $liot did not withdraw 7Bur(an with a Baedeer Bleistein with a +i)ar8 as he did-fter %trange .ods if he had truly repented his pre,ious con,ictions in the wae of the olocaust:

6fter the war $liot prudently withdrew this (oo from circulation and ne,erre-pu(lished it. #o why did he not withdraw the eually damnin) poem7Bur(an with a Baedeer: Bleistein with a +i)ar8 from his %elected Poemspu(lished in 19H& . . . 't was still included in my own copy of his Collected

Poems 19091967 pu(lished in 19% and which ' read that same year. Was itan o,ersi)ht or did the ma)nitude of the olocaust not impin)e on $liotCsconsciousness1@

Why theolocaustshould (e the criterion (y which cultural critiue is censored is yet howe,er to (ee*plained (y any of these detractors other than in terms of a per,asi,e Western-wide moral repentancethat is as stiflin) to honest analysis as LysenoCs do)ma was to #o,iet (iolo)y.

Classicist, Royalist, Anlo!Catholic"

$liot was primarily a +hristian and a royalist. 'n #ocial +redit he saw the economic aspect of the6n)lo-+atholic 2ia media or middle path (etween socialism and capitalism.1 is aim was re,i,ereli)ion as the foundation for a cultural aesthetic outloo. 6. #. Eale comments that $liot 7wanted to

affect the reader as a whole human (ein) morally and aesthetically.81A "his was not somethin) thatsecular-humanist society whether as capitalism or as socialism was inclined to do.

While other aesthetes were choosin) +ommunism or ?ascism shapin) up as the two )reat anta)onistsfor the control of the world $liot chose 76n)lo-+atholicism.8 't was nonetheless a position on the4i)ht al(eit critical of itler and ussolini (ut re5ectin) the Leftism of Blooms(ury.

ence when the intelli)entsia was all aflutter o,er the #panish ci,il war in their near unanimoussupport for the 4epu(lican church (urners and nun illers in the interests of stoppin) ?ranco and4eaction $liot responded to a slanted sur,ey circulated amon) the literati on the issue that he wouldremain neutral itself a heresy in that milieu.1&

$liot a)ain unlie others of the literati who 5oined Left or 4i)ht did not propose a particular)o,ernmental system (ut did (elie,e that +hristians should present their opinions on a solid +hristian(asis and form a community from which such ideals could emanate.19 ence when $liot pu(lished$ssa"s -ncientand odernand Collected Poems 19091935 he drew criticism for attemptin) toesta(lish a 7+hristian poetics8 or discuss a 7+hristian polity.820

$liot had con,erted to the 6n)lo-+atholic (ranch of the +hurch of $n)land in 192A and he remainedan ardent worshiper until his death in 19. is faith was the crucial element in his thinin) andcreati,ity. "he most succinct self-description of his outloo was that of a 7classicist in literatureroyalist in politics and 6n)lo-+atholic in reli)ion.821

't was an echo of the statement made in 191% (y the seminal ?rench 4i)htist and 6cademician +harlesaurras leader of the militant 6ction ?ranMaise descri(in) his 7counter-re,olutionary8 (eliefs as

8classiue: catholiue: monarchiue:;22 that is to say the antithesis of the Jaco(in foundations ofthe ?rench 4epu(lic. 'ndeed $liot was to state that 7most of the concepts which mi)ht ha,e attractedme in ?ascism ' seem already to ha,e found in a more di)esti(le form in the wor of +harles aurras.' say in a more di)esti(le form (ecause ' thin they ha,e a closer applica(ility in $n)land than those of?ascism.82%

Because ?ascism treated monarchy as 7a con,enience8 it was unaccepta(le to $liot (ut wasnonetheless prefera(le to +ommunism. is preference was for 7the powerful in) and the a(leminister8 rather than the ?ascist formula of 7a powerful dictator and a nominal in).8 6lthou)h


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aurras was accused of (ein) a ?ascist and was to (e tried as a colla(orator after World War ''2H head,ocated "radition not ?ascism and was of much interest to $liot as a leadin) classicist andintellectual and cultural e*ponent of the 4i)ht (elie,in) lie $liot that monarchy and aristocracywould protect the hum(le from the 7am(itious politician.82@

$liotCs interest in 6n)lo-+atholicism was already inspired (y his first ,isit to $n)land in 1911 when heenthused a(out ,isitin) Westminster 6((ey and other )reat +hurches in London. Looin) at the

architecture of these )reat churches and +athedrals of $n)land $liot saw the li,in) em(odiment of apast i)h +ulture epitomied (y the architect of #t. !aulCs +athedral #ir +hristopher Wren a royalistcommissioned (y +harles '' to re(uild fifty-one churches after the )reat fire of 1.2 ere was thene*us of the pi,otal elements of endurin) culture: onarchy and ?aith under which culture flourishedin ways impossi(le under li(eralism and euality.

$liot as an employee in "he +ity could not (ut contrast the churches that had (een (uilt (y Wren in)rand classical style and in the tradition of the i)h +hurch with the 7hideous (ans and commercialhouses the churches (ein) the only redeemin) uality of some ,ul)ar street8 writin) at a time whenthere was a proposal to demolish nineteen of the churches.2A

"he proposal for the demolition of 7redundant8 churches in "he +ity can readily (e seen to ha,e

sym(olied the dichotomy of the modern world: the functionalism of commerce destroyin) the ,esti)esof i)h +ulture. 'n 192 a year (efore $liotCs official con,ersion he and literary scholar BonamyEo(rNe led a hymn-chantin) protest throu)h the streets of "he +ity which succeeded in sa,in) thechurches.2&

owe,er $liot (elie,ed in traditions that were locally rooted. "his is why he opted to (ecome an6n)lo-+atholic rather than a 4oman +atholic which he would certainly ha,e con,erted to had hedecided on ?rance instead of Britain as his residence. Becomin) a British citien and con,ertin) to the+hurch of $n)land were part of the same process as the reli)ious tradition of a nation was the centralin)redient of a national culture. owe,er churches were de)raded (y nationalism and $liot eschewedthe concept of the +hurch of $n)land as a 7national +hurch.8 4ather it is nationalism that should (epredicated on faith rather than faith ser,e as a tool of nationalism.29 "he +hurch of $n)land was a

national +hurch (ut should (e 7the +atholic +hurch in $n)land.8%0 6n)lo-+atholicism is that (odywithin 6n)licanism that maintains the +hurch of $n)land is a (ranch of +atholicism rather than!rotestantism.

Classicism and Romanticism

$n)lish classicism founded (y ". $. ulme was the other primary element in $liotCs doctrine. 't was anaesthetic outloo that also had a ma5or influence on $liotCs friends $ra !ound and Wyndham Lewis.%1

owe,er althou)h $liot im(i(ed the classicism of aurras and ulme in ?rance and Britainrespecti,ely he had already (ecome a classicist under the tutela)e of 'r,in) Ba((itt at ar,ard whotau)ht a course on 7Literary criticism in ?rance.8 is was a non-conformist re5ection of e)alitarianismand industrialism and a call for 7standards8 and 7discipline8%2 a)ainst the orthodo* 6mericanstandard of economic 7success8 as the measure of all thin)s.

ence when $liot arri,ed in $n)land he had already (ecome a classicist and had re5ected thetriumphant doctrines of 7pro)ress8 7li(erty8 and 7euality.8 $liot tau)ht classicism contraromanticism in 191 at


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tendencies were 7e*altation of thecessin any direction. 't splits up into two directions:escape from the world of fact and de,otion to (rute fact. "he two )reat currents

of the nineteenth century,a)ue emotionality and the apotheosis of scienceFrealismG alie sprin) from 4ousseau.%H

?rom $liotCs co)ent description of the two common (ut antithetical tendencies sprin)in) from4omanticism we mi)ht understand how the ?rench 4e,olution proclaimed in the name of 74eason8assumed the most irrational forms erectin) su(stitute reli)ions to the 73oddess of 4eason8 and to the7supreme Bein)8 complete with hymns litur)y and holy days in the name of the 4e,olution.

7"he 4eaction 6)ainst 4omanticism8 started at the (e)innin) of the twentieth century in 7a return tothe ideals of classicism.8 $liot e*plained the principles of classicism as 7formand restraintin artdisci


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"he historical sense compels a man to write not merely with his own )enerationin his (ones (ut with a feelin) that the whole of the literature of $urope fromomer and within it the whole of the literature of his own country has asimultaneous e*istence and composes a simultaneous order.%&


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'n 192@ $liot wrote 7"he ollow en8 which descri(es the state of what can (e called odern anwho has no attachment no place in a li,in) tradition. 't was written at a time when $liot had a(readown. 'n her essay and analysis of the poem eather Ian 6elst co)ently writes of this:

7"he ollow en8 is essentially a poem of emptiness $liotCs e*ploration ofthe state of his own soul as one of many modern souls sufferin) the sameaffliction. 't is an emptiness caused (y the condition of the modern world a

modern world in which men li,e only for themsel,es failin) to choose(etween )ood and e,il. "he souls in the poem whose condition we aresupposed to (e horrified (y are not those who ha,e sinned the most (ut thosewho ha,e not chosen whether or not to sin. "hey e*ist in a state in-(etween astate in which their failure to mae a decision causes an utter lac of hope and5oy or pain. "he heroes of this poem are those who clearly see this state andreco)nie its true horror.H2

't e*presses a cultural malady that was of concern to those such as $liot eats +amp(ell !ound et al=who sou)ht a way out of the ua)mire main) their art their protest while simultaneously contri(utin)si)nificantly to a cultural "radition that (ypasses the culture of the maret place.

7"he ollow en8 could as well apply to odern an as a new species represented (y the ma5orityof all classes and stations of life:

We are the hollow menWe are the stuffed menLeanin) to)ethereadpiece filled with straw.6lasQ


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". #harpe T= %= $liot@ - Literar" LifeF=ew or: #t. artinCs !ress 1991G p. H.

A . Belloc The AesFLondon: Butler &"anner 19%AG.

& 6. E. oody Thomas %tearns $liot@ PoetFLondon: +am(rid)e ;ni,ersity !ress 19&0G pp. %A0A1.

9 ". #. $liotPoemsF=ew or: 6lfred 6 Knopf 1920G 73erontion.8

10 $liotPoems 7#weeney 6mon) the =i)htin)ales.8

11 ". #. $liot-fter %trange .ods@ - Primer of odern eres" FLondon: ?a(er and ?a(er 19%HG pp.1920. "he full te*t can (e read at: http://www.catholicherald.co.u/commentand(lo)s/2011/10/0%/the-poet-who-confronted-t-s-eliot-o,er-his-anti-semitism/

12 6. E. oody i(id.

1% ". #harpe p. 1A1.

1H ". #. $liototes Toards the +efinition of Culture 7!reface to the 192 $dition8 p. A.

1@ ?. !hilips 7"he !oet Who +onfronted ". #. $liot


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%% ". #. $liot 7#ylla(us of a +ourse of #i* Lectures on modern ?rench Literature (y " #tearns $liot8


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T. S. Eliot, Part $Kerry Bolton

from http://www.counter-currents.com/2012/09/t-s-eliot-part-2/

". #. $liot #eptem(er 2 1&&&January H 19@

The Criterion

'f Western ci,iliation was ine*ora(ly headin) towards an undramatic )enerally indiscerni(lewhimperin) dissolution then at least $liot was to pro,ide (oth a warnin) and an alternati,e to declineand death.

6mon) $liotCs most important efforts was the foundin) of The Criterion which ran from 1922 to 19%9."he intent was to offer a cultural critiue of the (ar(arity of modernism and champion a re,i,al of+hristian $uropean culture to pro,ide an outlet for new writers and to connect with others across$urope. When $liot his ideas ha,in) (een well-esta(lished since his tutela)e under 'r,in) Ba((itt atar,ard founded The Criterionhe promoted it as a "ory pu(lication representin) 7reaction8 and7re,olution8 in opposition to 7su(ur(an democracy.81

$liot first and foremost a +hristian traditionalist did not see the ad,ent of ?ascist 'taly asoptimistically as $ra !ound did althou)h he refused to en)a)e in intellectual tu(-thumpin) e,enwhen the treatment of Jews in =ational #ocialist 3ermany was e*citin) uni,ersal ferment. #uchpre,alent anti-fascism he descri(ed as an 7emotional outlet8 for li(erals and as 7distractin) from the

true e,ils of their own society.82 e refused to tae a position on the #panish +i,il War% and e,encriticied


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authority . . . the +hurch.8@ 't was (asically a neo-edie,al outloo.

'n 192& $liot came to the defense of aurras who as leader of 6ction ?ranMaise had (een condemned(y the Iatican. =early a decade later he came to the defense of Wyndham Lewis who did notdis)uise his sympathies for ?ascism or his contempt for the Blooms(ury coterie $liot statin) that7anyone who is not enthusiastic a(out the fruits of li(eralism must (e unpopular with the 6n)lo-#a*onma5ority.8A $,en in 190 $liot insisted that the word 7fascist8 is 7flun) (y massenmenschat some

who lie Lewis choose to wal alone.8 &

'n the June 192& issue of The Criterion$liot clarified his position statin) that the pro(lems withci,iliation would (e studied. e included in that issue a re,iew of Wealth: ,irtual Wealth and +e4t (ythe economic reformer !rofessor ?rederic #oddy9 whose (oo was seminal on the thinin) of theearly (anin) reformers. "he re,iew of the #oddy (oo (y J. c6lpine e*plained that the medie,al erahad a social order (ased on the church which was or)anied throu)h )uilds where 7money-dealin)8was condemned and where the ?aith was interwo,en throu)h the social fa(ric the remnants of thistraditional order finally (ein) destroyed with the 'ndustrial 4e,olution and domination (y 7a cashrelationship.8 +learly $liot held the same outloo which was also the outloo of 6. 4.


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suspiciously on ?ascism as another re,olt of the masses.

After Strange Gods

'ndustrialism and the concomitant phenomena of cosmopolitanism and alien immi)ration underminethe tradition upon which culture is (ased (y (reain) the chain (y which culture is transmitted throu)h)enerations. 'n a lecture at the ;ni,ersity of Iir)inia in 19%% pu(lished the followin) year as -fter%trange .ods@ - Primer of odern eres" $liot saw that the ;# had not and pro(a(ly would notreco,er from the +i,il War which was a ,ictory of plutocracy and industrialism a)ainst tradition andruralism. e said to his Iir)inia audience that 7the chances for the re-esta(lishment of a nati,e cultureare perhaps (etter here than in =ew $n)land. ou are farther away from =ew orD you ha,e (een lessindustrialied and less in,aded (y forei)n racesD and you ha,e a more opulent soil.812

"he reference to =ew or can (e seen as a reference to the ne)ati,e impact of cosmopolitanism onculture. $liot proceeded to comment that the destruction of the soil wrou)ht also the destruction of thenati,e ualities of a people there (ein) a two-way influence (etween race and soil. e referred to hisnati,e =ew $n)land as 7the half-dead mill towns of southern =ew ampshire and assachusetts8:

't is not necessarily those lands which are the most fertile or most fa,oured inclimate that seem to me the happiest (ut those in which a lon) stru))le of

adaptation (etween man and his en,ironment has (rou)ht out the (estualities of (othD in which the landscape has (een moulded (y numerous)enerations of one race and in which the landscape in turn has modified therace to its own character.1%

$liot commended those who wished for a re,i,ed a)rarian #outh who despite (ein) ridiculed asha,in) an impossi(le dream were nonetheless em(arin) on a worthy cause a)ainst 7the whole currentof economic determinism8 7a )od (efore whom we fall down and worship with all inds of music.8owe,er $liot considered that:

' (elie,e that these matters may ultimately (e determined (y what peoplewantD that when anythin) is )enerally accepted as desira(le economic laws

can (e upset in order to achie,e itD that it does not so much matter at presentwhether any measures put forward are practical as whether the aim is a )oodaim and the alternati,es intolera(le. "here are at the present sta)e moreserious difficulties in the re,i,al or esta(lishment of a tradition and a way oflife which reuire immediate consideration.1H

'n conflict with economic determinism 7What ' mean (y tradition in,ol,es all those ha(itual actionsha(its and customs from the most si)nificant reli)ious rite to our con,entional way of )reetin) astran)er which represent the (lood inship of the same people li,in) in the same place.81@

"his conception of tradition repudiates the notion of multiculturalism which is a manifestation ofeconomic determinism whether in its capitalistic or socialistic forms. $liot stated that where more than

one culture e*ists in a locality the formation and transmission of a culture is su(,erted. $liot was notad,ocatin) apolo)etics for racial supremacy (y clin)in) 7to traditions as a way of assertin) oursuperiority o,er less fa,oured peoples.8 What is reuired for a tradition to (ecome esta(lished is asense of place and permanence. 7"he population should (e homo)eneousD where two or more culturese*ist in the same place they are liely either to (e fiercely self-conscious or (oth to (ecomeadulterate.81

"his of course has (ecome e,er more impossi(le as capitalism has proceeded until we ha,e what istoday called )lo(aliationD where there are no settled or homo)enous communities where a new formof economic nomadism has formed a cosmopolitan class de,oid of any attachments to locality custom
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or tradition lauded (y 3. !ascal >achary in The .lo4al eas ,irtually a new human species at theser,ice of )lo(al capitalism1A

"o what is today championed (y those such as >achary as the unlimited possi(ilities of economicad,ance offered (y the )lo(al ,illa)e and the )lo(al maret place $liot would contend: 7We must alsoremem(er that in spite of e,ery means of transport that can (e de,ised the local community mustalways (e the most permanent.8 "his concept of the local community for $liot e,en too precedence

o,er the nation which was only as useful as it allowed for the sta(ility of the community which in turnwas a )roupin) of families rooted to place throu)h )enerations. 6 nationCs 7stren)th and its)eo)raphical sie depend upon the comprehensi,eness of a way of life which can harmonise parts withdistinct local characters of their own.81& ence re)ionalism or separatism will arise when thenation-state (ecomes centralied and intrudes upon local tradition for 7't is only a law of nature thatlocal patriotism when it represents a distinct tradition and culture taes precedence o,er a morea(stract national patriotism.819

?or those who interpret the 4i)ht as synonymous with nationalism and loyalty to the nation-state thisrepudiation of nationalistic and statist sanctity will appear confusin). owe,er the 4i)ht is amanifestation of tradition rather than that of nation-states which destroyed the traditional principalitiesre)ions and city-states that comprised the hi)h culture of Western ci,iliation. $liot points out that 7theconsciousness of Uthe nationC as the social unit is a ,ery recent and contin)ent e*perience. 't (elon)s toa limited historical period and is (ound up with certain specific happenin)s.820 4ather 7)enuinepatriotism8 only has depth when there is a society 7in which people ha,e local attachments to theirsmall domain and small community and remain )eneration after )eneration in the same place.8 21

't is a call to re5ect cosmopolitanism uni,ersalism and ur(aniation: all the symptoms of the modernepoch of decay and to return to the land to the ,illa)e to the produce marets and churchD all thatwhich seems e,oed (y the word:


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,olume pu(lished shortly after the demise of The Criterion in 19%9:The /dea of a Christian %ociet".6society founded on the +hristian ethos would 7compel chan)es in our or)aniation of industry andcommerce and financial credit8 and it would facilitate rather than as at present impede a life ofde,otion for those capa(le of it.2%


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easily apprecia(le form of wron) relations (etween one persona and another.2A

6 +hristian society would (e (ased on what would (ecome ha(it and custom rather than law.2&6lienation from the land caused (y the 'ndustrial 4e,olution startin) in $n)land (efore infectin) theentirety of Western ci,iliation led to ur(an drift and what ar* referred to as the proletarianiation ofthe yeomanry and the creation of the mercantile class in place of the )entry. $liot saw ur(aniation as

ruinous to culture as did contemporaries such as =ew >ealand poet ?air(urn =orwe)ian writeramsun and $n)lish writer enry Williamson. $liot returned to the uestion of the rural (asis ofculture and demo)raphic health and the ruinous character of ur(aniation in The Criterionse,eralyears after addressin) the pro(lem in his Iir)inia address:

"o understand thorou)hly what is wron) with a)riculture is to understandwhat is wron) with nearly e,erythin) else: with the domination of ?inancewith our ideals and system of $ducation indeed with our whole philosophyof life. . . . What is fundamentally wron) is the ur4ani?ation of mindofwhich ' ha,e pre,iously spoen and which is increasin)ly pre,alent asthose who rule those who spea those who write and de,eloped inincreasin) num(ers from an ur(an (ac)round. "o ha,e the ri)ht frame ofmind . . . it is necessary that the )reater part of the population of all classesFso lon) as we ha,e classesG should (e settled in the country and (edependent upon it.


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)eneration rather than specialied 7elites8 confined to limited functions. "his class-(ased culture wasnot howe,er the property of a sin)le class (ut of the social or)anism as a totality the health andcontinuation of a culture (ein) reliant 7on the health of the culture of the people.8% "he whole of thepopulation should (e acti,e in cultural acti,ities al(eit 7not all in the same acti,ities of on the samele,el8 (ut on the (asis of what he called 7)roup culture.8%A "he social order should allow for the(estwhether in politics or the artsto 7rise to the top8 and influence taste.%& $liot did not ,iew the

elimination of class includin) the 7upper class8 in the name of euality as somethin) desira(le. Whileit mi)ht ha,e little effect in a state of lower de,elopment elsewhere it can (e 7a disaster.8%9 "hedan)er of elites replacin) classes is that such elites ha,e no common (ond other than as what we mi)htcall professional functionaries who states $liot lac 7social continuity8 and 7social continuity.8 6class-structured society on the other hand is a 7natural society.8 "herefore $liot championed thearistocracy (ut not an 7aristocratic society8


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emer)ed howe,er (ecause of the political situation and the rise of national anta)onisms (efore theWorld War was a cultural isolation amon) $uropeans which had a 7num(in) effect upon creati,ity8 ineach state.H $liot saw politics as di,isi,e for culture.HA ence we mi)ht understand why he choseto remain 7neutral8 on such issues that preoccupied the intelli)entsia as the #panish +i,il War. WhatThe Criterionhad sou)ht a(o,e political and national differences was 7an international fraternity ofmen of letters within $urope a (ond which did not replace (ut was perfectly compati(le with

national loyalties reli)ious loyalties and differences in political philosophy.8 H&$liot ,iewed with concern political nationalism that deni)rated other $uropean cultures. But for thepost-war world there emer)ed the pro(lem of 7the ideal of a world state in which there will in the end(e only one uni,ersal world culture.8 +ulture was an or)anism that had to )row and (e nurtured lieother li,in) or)anisms and could not (e contri,ed throu)h the machinery of )o,ernment includin)world )o,ernment. "he cultural health of $urope reuired that the culture of each country shouldremain uniue and that each should realie their relationship to the other on the (asis of a 7commonelement8 7an interrelated history of thou)ht and feelin) and (eha,iour.8H9

$liot sou)ht to define culture to delineate the 7material or)anisation of $urope8 and the 7spiritualor)anism of $urope.8 7'f the latter dies then what you or)anise will not (e $urope (ut merely a massof human (ein) speain) se,eral different lan)ua)es.8


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state in a (io)raphy of $liot that 7the (ar(arians did not arri,e in his lifetime8@H that (lindo(ser,ation is itself symptomatic of a cultural malaise.


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1@/4id=:p. 1&.

1/4id=:p. 19.

1A 3. !ascal >achary The .lo4al e@ Wh" ations ill %ucceed or !ail in the e>t .enerationF=ew #outh Wales: 6ustralia 6llen and ;nwin 2000G.

1& ". #. $liot-fter %trange .ods p. 20.

19/4id.

20/4id. $liot is here uotin) I. 6. Eemant .od: an and %ociet" p. 1H.

21 ". #. $liot 7+ommentary8 The Criterion Iol. 11


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H&/4id. p. 11&.

H9/4id. pp. 11&19.

@0/4id. p. 120.

@1/4id p. 122.

@2/4id. p. 12%.

@%/4id. p. 12H.

@H 6croyd p. 2A%.

@@ 6croyd p. %29.

@ . Kautani 7+riticCs =ote(ooD $*aminin) ". #. $liot and 6nti-#emitism: ow Bad Was 't8The e Dork Times 6u)ust 22 19&9.

@A ". #harpe p. 1A1.

kerry bolton t.s. eliot

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