Terry Eagleton on Raine's "TS Eliot"

Terry Eagleton flames Raine's new book, "TS Eliot". His review is a good primer on how history's custodians do their work.

TS Eliot by Craig Raine
(OUP, £12.99)

"For a good many decades, thick fumes of incense have been wafting from the English literary establishment in the general direction of TS Eliot. The latest offering by the acolytes to the high priest is this study by Craig Raine, which admits that some of Eliot's drama isn't up to much but otherwise won't hear a cross word about the great man. "There is no evidence," Raine piously remarks, "that Eliot was either a fornicator or a homosexual," as though being homosexual was a trespass to be vigorously rebutted. Eliot was not, he rashly maintains, a misogynist either, even though the poetry is shot through from end to end with a fear and loathing of women. He even seeks to face down the charge that this ascetic ex-bank clerk was a bit of a dry old stick, although Eliot himself admitted as much.

Why do critics feel a need to defend the authors they write on, like doting parents deaf to all criticism of their obnoxious children?"

To find out, read the rest HERE.

Comments

[Daniel]

"But hey, I suppose every author has a fan or two."

So true and so like the truism, "Love is blind." To those not afflicted, it does seem ridiculous, and so obvious. I imagine Raine might find my affection for Ginsberg and Kerouac amusing too.

[Dave J]

We recently covered T.S. Eliot in my Lit course. To me, he seems like an overtly religious virgin. He seemed obsessed with writing about sexual innuendo, likely because he himself hadn't even experienced a sexual encounter prior to age fifty-something.

Yeah, I agree, why anyone would feel compelled to not only defend the subject of their biographical writing, but to specifically defend Eliot (the commensurate loser) of all people is mind boggling.

But hey, I suppose every author has a fan or two.