Date of Award

1900

Degree Type

Bachelors Essay

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Literatures, Languages, and Cultures

Abstract

"'Art is instinct working upon an unbroken chain of tradition. The difficulty of our period is to reawaken the perception of beauty in people who have no longer the natural eye of tradition to perceive it with. Yolk art is dead now, killed, with the tradition of it by Commerce. It was once alive. The proof of artistic tradition lies in its artistic. The kings, the statesmen, the soldiers of the ages disappear, but the art of ages remains." (From "People and Things"--:Masaingham) Literature, like any other art cannot cut itself off from tradition. The influence of the past critically appreciated is a shining guide for the present and never without its motive power upon the future. Any one who hopes to become a distinguished artist, be it as sculptor, painter, musician, or poet, should diligently study the work of the masters, because he knows that he lulls there something of permanent value, something that has stood the test of time. He will thus not be hindered but helped in making progress, and hie originality need not suffer be~ cause or imitation. It is a common experience that the "small• persona are afraid to acknowledge their indebtedness to others, whereas a master in hie province feels at ease to use whatever he deem helpful to him. In the province of literature as in that of any art the names of those who have broken away too mach from traditions have soon disappeared from the ranks of esteemed artists. Above all has the so called classic tradition that of the Greeks, for which Aristotle formulated laws, remained a steady guide for the beat writers. According to it the formal, intellectual, imaginative, and emotional elements must have the proper balance. I claim that for an author the acquaintance with literary standards, with the intention of profiting by them, is of the utmost importance...

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