★ Introduction:-
Literary criticism occupies its own position along with literary creations. I. A. Richards, Leavis, Eliot, and many critics have established "New criticism". F. R. Leavis has the lasting effect on English literary criticism. His ideas are welcomed widely on practical criticism. In the present essay he has proved his excellence as a critic. The essay"Reality and Sincerity" is written by F. R. Leavis. According to him this essay came into existence to established an order of preference of three poems.
★ About critic:-
Born:- 14 July, 1895
Died:- 14 April, 1978
Frank Raymond Leavis was an English literary critic of the early to made 20th century, who championed seriousness and moral depth in literature and criticized what considered the amateur belletrism of his time.
★ Major Arguments:-
According to F. R. leavis, this is came into existence by the comparison of three poems, to established an order of reference, which poem should come lowest in order of preference, which are,
- Alexander Smith's "Barbara"
- Emily Bronte's "Cold in the Earth"
- Thomas Hardy's "After a Journey"
Leavis has given statement that two poems are easy to understand and analyse, but Barbara is slide difficult. The purpose behind this comparison is to understand "why some poems are better than other".
In the beginning he describes about Alexander Smith's poem Barbara,
★Alexander Smith's Barbara is about irrepable loss. It deals with the sufferings of an unbearable sorrow. It is basically cheap in nature, extremely vague and on realistic in nature. Therefore Barbara does not need any kind of analysis. Leavis's criticism of Smith's poem has nothing to do with tactical reading through the verse, it looks very personal. Each line is a memory, there is almost a picture in each line. Smith decides the words as he himself sharing his thought with Barbara. He is talking to her and he knows what to say so that she will understand him.
In the second part, Leavis presents Emily Bronte's is poem 'Cold in the Earth'. In an earlier book Leavis has called this poem as the finest poem of the 90th century, but in this letter essay he describe this poem as a failure.
★The emotional sweep of the movement, the declamatory plangency of Cold in the Earth might seem to be represent dangerous temptation; but in responding to the effect of passionate in intensity we register what impress us as a controlling strength. The poem is read as plangent which suggest that there is something dangerous in it. Instanza 7 he describes that,
Then did I check the tears of useless passion.
"Cold in the Earth'', in its strong plangency might reasonable be judged to be notable movement. However if we go on to judge Hardy's After a Journey is a much final thing to be placed as a poetic achievement. According to leavis, those who confidently place Cold in the Earth above Barbara, do as a rule, judge after a journey superior to Cold in the Earth.
Thomas Hardy was well known both as novelist and as a poet. His wife died in November 1912 after a short and painful illness. The shock of his wife's death filled Hardy with feeling of remorse and regret and that he produced a series of poems that are very powerful.
The poem is a healing poem with seems to referbic to the care of his life. F. R. Leavis describes it as intimate or self communing. He describes it in a line,
Where you will next be there is no knowing.
We can call itself communing, because when Hardy addresses the ghost, he is still addressing himself. It is easily recognised that the distinct quality of idioms and diction with the intimacy of tone achieves some striking accuracy and naturality.
Hardy's poem, put side by side with Emily Bronte's is seem to have a great advantage in reality. If we can find a way that to say that hard dis poem has an advantage in reality is to say that it represents a profound and completer sincerity.
It is like we are listening to Hardy is talking to himself somewhere inside our mind. He describes his wife in poem,
Nut coloured hair, and grey eyes and Rose flash.
If we compare it with other two poems, there is absence of positive tone which Leavis describes as a having a great advantage and reality. The first word in the poem "Hereto" make Sun immediate effect of balance. Leavis describe the poem as a journey back through the time but actually we cannot go back to the time. Memory can recall his wife but her presence in the poem makes her absence. There is a detailed analysis of the line,
But all's closed now, despite time's division.
The line makes this point clear; this is the statement that says, everything is closed despite time's standing. There is balance all over and the suffering of loss. He also gives an example of the first line,
Hereto I came to view a voiceless ghost.
When we consider "view" it has been challenged. But we cannot judge 'view' until we have realised what is the nature of the ghost. Thomas Hardy is expressing the reality of rememberence but he also says that,
I am just the same.
The point in this thread is to try to understand how we can recognise truth of the poem, or what makes a good piece of poetry, what is it about poetry that makes people want to write it. While Emily Bronte's poem "Cold in the Earth" is a striking poem, but when we go back to it from Hardy's, we may come to judgement that she is dramatising herself in a situation such as she has dearly not known in actual experience. While Hardy presents specific fact and concentrate circumstances.
At the end of the essay, we come to know that Alexander Smith's "Barbara" comes lowest in order of preference.
★ Conclusion:-
To sum up, we can say that above all F. R. Leavis, comparing piece of work "Cold in the Earth" and "After a Journey" on the base of reality and sincerity, come to conclusion that Hardy's "After a Journey" is more effective poem. Highlights the element of reality and sincerity more than the poem of Emily Bronte.
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