T.S. Eliot and the Objective Correlative Explained

The Concept of the Objective Correlative

For T.S. Eliot, the location of emotion in poetry cannot be within the poem itself. It may exist in the poet and the reader, but never in the poem. How, then, can we transmit emotion to the reader without placing it directly in the poem? The answer lies in the objective correlative. According to Eliot, this is the only way to convey emotion while maintaining the principle of impersonality in poetry.

The Process of the Objective Correlative

The process functions as follows: the poet experiences an emotion and wishes for the reader to share it, yet cannot express it directly. The solution is to replace the emotion with an object—the objective correlative—and hope that when the reader encounters this object, it evokes the intended emotion. As Eliot stated, “literature is a presentation of feeling by a statement of events in human actions or objects in the external world.” This involves two planes:

• Feelings: Internal states within the poet.
• Externalities: Actions, events, and objects that can be perceived.

Eliot argued that the direct presentation of emotion in poetry should be avoided, as he considered it "obscene." He chose the term objective correlative for specific reasons:

• Correlative: To establish a relationship between an emotion and an object.
• Objective: To create a link between the author and the reader, allowing the latter to deduce the hidden emotion.

By using an object, the poet can effectively represent an emotion that would otherwise be impossible to place directly into the text.

How Eliot Applies This Theory

Eliot used this concept to establish his critical originality. For him, Hamlet is an artistic failure because Shakespeare did not provide an adequate objective correlative for the protagonist's emotions. Eliot argued that Shakespeare failed to establish a proper link between the internal emotions and the external world, which explains the play's structural difficulties.

The Language of Poetry

For Eliot, language is the essence of poetry; one becomes a poet for the sake of language. While various poetic movements have sought to simplify language, Eliot maintained that not all of the English language is suitable for the composition of poetry.