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.1927 and, in 1929, Dante. The problem, as EliotBefore one proceeds into allowing Eliot to expa- sees it, is an endemic one.Davies is a poet, not atiate on Davies s failing, however, it would be wise philosopher, although he had a gift for philosophi-to grant to Eliot the same scrupulosity of thought cal exposition. Thus, his appeal is to feeling, notand feeling that he expects of others.If, then, thought, not because poetry cannot appeal to both,Eliot faults Davies s beliefs, it will not be on doc- but because Davies s poetry does not appeal to both.trinal grounds Eliot had been very well and very Davies s theory of the relationship between theformally trained in appreciating that there is an body and soul, even if he had used better sources, 374 Social Function of Poetry, The still does not matter a fig, therefore, because it is SYNOPSISnot Davies s theories but his poetry that ought toSuch an approach, as might be expected withmatter.a topic as broad itself in scope as poetry s socialAs harsh as this dismissal may sound, Eliot isfunction, thus enabled Eliot to make more use-only being practical and, if the truth be known,ful pronouncements than he had previously madefair as well.Poetry is to be judged as poetry, notby focusing only on the more controversial kindsas philosophy or theology.Readers must be care-of social function that poetry might serve in theful to split the same hair in the same way as Eliotgive-and-take of the contemporary moment.Freeddoes here now.While he finds Davies s so-calledfrom the necessity of having to apply or justify histheories quaint, that is not the source of his dis-conclusions on the basis of his own and his con-satisfaction with them as poetry.Rather it is thattemporaries practices and purposes, Eliot is ablethey are made to seem to be the purpose for thein this essay to establish what he sees to be poetry spoetry, whether they were quaint or not, ratherultimate and, so, enduring social function.than the other way around; that is to say, theHe lays out his case in a methodical fashion aswhole purpose for the discussion of the soul andwell, beginning by establishing for his reader whichthe body in Davies is to have grounds for theof the commonplace functions assigned to poetrypoetry.will not be of concern to him.Not surprisingly, heEliot, in closing, can turn to a no less spiritualreiterates in convincing terms that a poet s actualpoetry on the same topic, that being the passageadvocacy of or attack on a particular social attitudein DANTE ALIGHIERI s Purgatorio that describes thecannot constitute poetry s social function for thesoul as if it were a little child.(Eliot would himselfobvious and simple reason that the poetry remainsshortly have recourse to this same passage as ato be of some value to humanity long after the spe-source for one of his Ariel poems, Animula. ) Ascific social causes that may have inspired it if, fora sign of how much Eliot, in disparaging Davies sthat matter, there happen to have been any haveideas, is not disparaging Davies s poetry, Eliot sug-quite literally become lost to history.While he doesgests that, while Dante was, in comparison withnot himself cite an example, the classical GreekDavies, a vastly greater poet depending on antragedian Euripides Medea provides a convenient infinitely more substantial and subtle philosophy,one.Scholars rightly view the play as Euripidesanyone who can appreciate the beauty of Dante scommentary on the deplorable state of affairs thatverse should be able to extract considerable plea-resident aliens were forced to endure in the Athenssure from Nosce Teipsum. The wary reader willof his time.Any reader or audience member whoreadily note that Eliot emphasizes deriving beautyhas subsequently been exposed to Medea, how-and pleasure, not philosophy and theology, fromever, has undoubtedly been moved by its tragiceither man s poetry, as it should be.dimensions despite being, for the most part, totallyunaware of the social function that the play wouldhave served for a contemporary Athenian audi-ence [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]