Eliot and Dante: Poetics of Unity

Abstract                                                             Kildong Hong (Korea U)

T. S. Eliot has continually searched for the unity through his literary theory and practice in a world of contradiction and dissociation. This paper gives a critical examination of the nature of the poetics of unity that Eliot found in Dante, based on Eliot’s texts on Dante including “Dante” (1920), Dante (1929), “What Dante Means to me” (1950), “The Clark Lectures” (1926) and “The Turnbull Lectures” (1933). Unity, one of the characteristics of classicism refers to literary and philosophical monism in that feeling and thought, subject and object, matter and mind(soul) do not fall apart but are united in one, as set forth in F. H. Bradley’s ‘immediate experience’ on whose monistic epistemology Eliot wrote his doctorate dissertation, and the theories of the “sensibility of unification” and an “objective correlative.” The period during which Dante lived, as Eliot mentioned can be defined as that of unity in various respects. Furthermore Dante’s works also show the characteristics of the poetics of unity. The focus will be on presenting how the discussions of metaphysical and philosophical poetry, and allegory are closely connected with the themes of the poetics of unity, which will ultimately highlight the nature of Dante’s poetry and also that of Eliot’s poetic pursuit.

Key  Words:  T. S. Eliot, Dante, poetics of unity, metaphysical poetry, philosophical poetry

Notes on Contributor:

Kildong Hongm is Professor of English at Korea University. He teaches Modern British and American Poetry and the History of American Literature. His publications include 0000000000 and many journal articles. He is currently working on the Comparative Literature of the East and the West.

Email: Kildonghong@gmail.com