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> and for readers who believe that favoring female and minority voices is a moral and ethical issue, Eliot’s male and privileged background works against him.

> and for readers who believe that favoring female and minority voices is a moral and ethical issue, Eliot’s male and privileged background works against him. I find it strange that you suggest younger readers would pass over Eliot given his race and background. If one is going to mix ethics and art, surely the fact that Eliot was an adamant anti-semite would be considered long before Eliot's race or background. Even when Eliot was alive, there were calls from those in the currently "over thirty" crowd to discard Eliot (or fellow anti-semites like Ezra Pound) from literary study. My own impressions of "under thirty readers" is far more favorable than yours. They seem as thoughtful as ever and take a very nuanced view of such issues. I think one can recognize the brilliance of Eliot's work, but also argue that time for literary study is limited at every level, so making cuts is inevitable. If we are making cuts anyway, arguing that diversity and ethical considerations are worth considering seems quite reasonable.

pvg 6y ago
(or fellow anti-semites like Ezra Pound) Not to make excuses for Eliot's anti-semitism but Pound was a raging fascist no mere 'fellow anti-semite'. A whole other level of ick.
starkd 6y ago
The literary critic, Christopher Ricks, disputes that characterization of Eliot as an anti-semite. He wrote a book in defense of him here: https://www.amazon.com/T-Eliot-Prejudice-Christopher-Ricks/dp/0571170358 https://www.amazon.com/T-Eliot-Prejudice-Christopher-Ricks/d...
- jaredklewis 6y ago
  Does he? While I haven't read T.S. Eliot and Prejudice my impression is that the book is almost entirely devoted to literary analysis and doesn't attempt to exonerate Eliot himself or draw any definite conclusions about his character. Perhaps you mean Craig Raine's Defence of T. S. Eliot? The thoughts of great literary critics not withstanding, my own conclusion is that I think several of Eliot's poems are anti-semitic in a rather straightforward way.
- dntbnmpls 6y ago
  "And the Jew squats on the window sill, the owner, Spawned in some estaminet of Antwerp, Blistered in Brussels, patched and peeled in London." https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47254/gerontion https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47254/gerontion There is no disputing Eliot's antisemtism. Eliot was born in the late 1800s. Back then pretty much everyone, especially the educated, were antisemites and racist. Even the "lovable" Albert Einstein was racist. It was a different world/time. And the racism of Eliot or Einstein doesn't detract from the work. You have to separate the art/science from the artist/scientist.
  - starkd 6y ago
    "Back then pretty everyone were antisemites and racist". That's a pretty bold statement, but I will add that the modern state of Israel could not have come about without some key luminaries who stood up for the Jewish people. One being Benjamin Disraeli, UK prime minister. Among many others. In fact, it could be argued that the uk in the 1800s was one of the friendliest places for Jews to live and work.
  - starkd 6y ago
    Also, much of 19th century English literature has a history of jewish friendly works. Look at such works as George Eliot's "Daniel Deronda", William Blake's Jerusalem, Lord Byron's Hebrew Hymns.

pvg 6y ago

(or fellow anti-semites like Ezra Pound) Not to make excuses for Eliot's anti-semitism but Pound was a raging fascist no mere 'fellow anti-semite'. A whole other level of ick.

starkd 6y ago

The literary critic, Christopher Ricks, disputes that characterization of Eliot as an anti-semite. He wrote a book in defense of him here: https://www.amazon.com/T-Eliot-Prejudice-Christopher-Ricks/dp/0571170358 https://www.amazon.com/T-Eliot-Prejudice-Christopher-Ricks/d...

jaredklewis 6y ago
Does he? While I haven't read T.S. Eliot and Prejudice my impression is that the book is almost entirely devoted to literary analysis and doesn't attempt to exonerate Eliot himself or draw any definite conclusions about his character. Perhaps you mean Craig Raine's Defence of T. S. Eliot? The thoughts of great literary critics not withstanding, my own conclusion is that I think several of Eliot's poems are anti-semitic in a rather straightforward way.
dntbnmpls 6y ago
"And the Jew squats on the window sill, the owner, Spawned in some estaminet of Antwerp, Blistered in Brussels, patched and peeled in London." https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47254/gerontion https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47254/gerontion There is no disputing Eliot's antisemtism. Eliot was born in the late 1800s. Back then pretty much everyone, especially the educated, were antisemites and racist. Even the "lovable" Albert Einstein was racist. It was a different world/time. And the racism of Eliot or Einstein doesn't detract from the work. You have to separate the art/science from the artist/scientist.
- starkd 6y ago
  "Back then pretty everyone were antisemites and racist". That's a pretty bold statement, but I will add that the modern state of Israel could not have come about without some key luminaries who stood up for the Jewish people. One being Benjamin Disraeli, UK prime minister. Among many others. In fact, it could be argued that the uk in the 1800s was one of the friendliest places for Jews to live and work.
- starkd 6y ago
  Also, much of 19th century English literature has a history of jewish friendly works. Look at such works as George Eliot's "Daniel Deronda", William Blake's Jerusalem, Lord Byron's Hebrew Hymns.