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The T. S. Eliot Myth
By an author who argues that Eliot is in fact a serious and major poet, but one who ought to be treated more critically than he has been, at times, by his many admirers
226 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1951
8 people want to read
About the author
Rossell Hope Robbins
19 books13 followersRossell Hope Robbins was born on July 22, 1912, in Wallasey, Cheshire, England, to Rossell Casson Robbins, formerly of Liverpool, England, and Alice Eveline Hope Robbins, formerly of Kirkcudbright, Scotland.
He began his education at Wallasey Grammar School, 1921-30, then proceeded to the University of Liverpool, where in 1933, as a student of J. H. G. Grattan, he received, with first class honors, his B.A. in English Language and Literature. In 1934 he received his diploma of education from the School of Education, Liverpool. During this period of his life Robbins also trained in music at the Matthay School of Music, Liverpool Branch (1930-36), receiving his licentiate from the Guildhall School of Music, London, in 1932. He was a member of the London Verse Speaking Choir under the direction of Marjorie Gullan from 1935-37. This early interest in music and verse has remained with him all his life. His dissertation and three of his earliest scholarly books dealt with the lyric in English, and, in 1961, Columbia University Press published his Early English Christmas Carols in a handsome gift edition with music, illustrations, and an LP record.
In 1934 Robbins was admitted to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, on an Open External Studentship to proceed to his doctorate. He was supported by a Wallasey Borough Research Scholarship and the University of Liverpool Graduate Scholarship. He received his Ph.D. in literature in 1937 as a student of G. G. Coulton. In that year he was awarded a Commonwealth Fellowship by the Harkness Foundation, which brought him to America. (He became a naturalized citizen in 1944.) Here, he continued his work on Middle English Lyrics at New York University with Carleton Brown, work which is still acknowledged as the best of its kind.
(http://www.library.rochester.edu/robb...)
He began his education at Wallasey Grammar School, 1921-30, then proceeded to the University of Liverpool, where in 1933, as a student of J. H. G. Grattan, he received, with first class honors, his B.A. in English Language and Literature. In 1934 he received his diploma of education from the School of Education, Liverpool. During this period of his life Robbins also trained in music at the Matthay School of Music, Liverpool Branch (1930-36), receiving his licentiate from the Guildhall School of Music, London, in 1932. He was a member of the London Verse Speaking Choir under the direction of Marjorie Gullan from 1935-37. This early interest in music and verse has remained with him all his life. His dissertation and three of his earliest scholarly books dealt with the lyric in English, and, in 1961, Columbia University Press published his Early English Christmas Carols in a handsome gift edition with music, illustrations, and an LP record.
In 1934 Robbins was admitted to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, on an Open External Studentship to proceed to his doctorate. He was supported by a Wallasey Borough Research Scholarship and the University of Liverpool Graduate Scholarship. He received his Ph.D. in literature in 1937 as a student of G. G. Coulton. In that year he was awarded a Commonwealth Fellowship by the Harkness Foundation, which brought him to America. (He became a naturalized citizen in 1944.) Here, he continued his work on Middle English Lyrics at New York University with Carleton Brown, work which is still acknowledged as the best of its kind.
(http://www.library.rochester.edu/robb...)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 8, 2022
Eliot is obscure and his politics are questionable. That's all this book has to say, even though you and everyone else knew it already.
One example: Robbins quotes Eliot as being opposed to the French Revolution; Robbins finds this stance unacceptable! Robbins can tolerate opposition to the Reign of Terror specifically, but it is important to him that we unanimously praise the Revolution in toto, because the Revolution helped bring the benighted people of France out of their feudal chains. This is pretty rigid consequentialism! The French Revolution ALSO led to a glory-mad emperor who tried to conquer Europe; who, incidentally, by tearing down the Holy Roman Empire, caused the rise of the German state, and therefore to two World Wars (these are all bad consequences). Anyway, you may notice that other countries somehow managed to drag themselves into the nineteenth century without Madame Defarge and Napoleon; the Revolution may not, in fact have been necessary. You'd think that the French Revolution is the kind of thing we could tolerate a dislike of. Nevertheless Robbins centers this faux pas of Eliot's as some kind of representative error, exposing the sinister underbelly of the man.
This is clearly an unfair criticism of Eliot's politics, even though almost any other criticism you could think of about Eliot's politics would be fair.
If you want to read someone petulantly griping for page after page that an author has dared to dissent from the humanistic tradition, this book is for you. I was totally primed to read a screed tearing Eliot down, and yet this whiny little book was not for me.
One example: Robbins quotes Eliot as being opposed to the French Revolution; Robbins finds this stance unacceptable! Robbins can tolerate opposition to the Reign of Terror specifically, but it is important to him that we unanimously praise the Revolution in toto, because the Revolution helped bring the benighted people of France out of their feudal chains. This is pretty rigid consequentialism! The French Revolution ALSO led to a glory-mad emperor who tried to conquer Europe; who, incidentally, by tearing down the Holy Roman Empire, caused the rise of the German state, and therefore to two World Wars (these are all bad consequences). Anyway, you may notice that other countries somehow managed to drag themselves into the nineteenth century without Madame Defarge and Napoleon; the Revolution may not, in fact have been necessary. You'd think that the French Revolution is the kind of thing we could tolerate a dislike of. Nevertheless Robbins centers this faux pas of Eliot's as some kind of representative error, exposing the sinister underbelly of the man.
This is clearly an unfair criticism of Eliot's politics, even though almost any other criticism you could think of about Eliot's politics would be fair.
If you want to read someone petulantly griping for page after page that an author has dared to dissent from the humanistic tradition, this book is for you. I was totally primed to read a screed tearing Eliot down, and yet this whiny little book was not for me.
Displaying 1 of 1 review