LITERARY SPHERE

UGC NET English: Plato Exam Notes Basic Introduction Plato lived from 428 to 348 BCE in Athens. He was the student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle. He founded the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. For literary criticism, Plato is important because he was the first major thinker to systematically examine the nature and value of poetry, art, and literature. His ideas appear in dialogues, which are conversations between characters, usually with Socrates as the main speaker. Theory of Forms or Theory of Ideas This is Plato's most famous concept. In simple words, Plato believed that the world we see around us is not the real world. It is only a copy or shadow of a higher, invisible world. The physical world is full of change, decay, and imperfection. A beautiful flower will wither. A strong man will grow old. Nothing in this world stays perfect forever. But we all understand the idea of perfect beauty, pe...

T.S. Eliot's contributions to literary theory and criticism are foundational to modern literary studies. His ideas reshaped how literature, particularly poetry, is analyzed and appreciated. Here are some key aspects of his contributions: 🔴 1. Theory of Impersonality      Eliot emphasized that poetry should be impersonal, detaching the poet’s personal emotions from the work. In his essay " Tradition and the Individual Talent ," he argued that the poet’s personal experience should not dictate the poem’s emotional effect. Instead, the poet acts as a medium through which tradition and artistic sensibility are channeled. 🔴 2. Objective Correlative       Eliot coined the term objective correlative to describe a set of objects, situations, or events that evoke a particular emotion in the reader. He believed that emotions in poetry should not be directly expressed but conveyed through concrete imagery and symbols, creating a more universal...