T. S. 엘리엇의 문화론

T. S. Eliot's Definition of Culture

David Chinitz, Ronald Schuchard and Loretta Johnson, refuting the established contention that T. S. Eliot is the staunchest champion of Modernism as high culture against popular culture have attempted to uncover the various elements of the popular culture in his life and works. On the basis of their recent criticism, this paper illuminates the significance of his own definition of culture as “the way of life of a particular people living together in one place.” He criticizes Matthew Arnold’s definition of culture as “the disinterested endeavour after man’s perfection” because this explanation takes account of culture from the perspective of an individual, but not that of a group or class, or of a whole society to which an individual belongs. Moreover, he eloquently affirms that there is a continuous gradation of cultural levels from top to bottom in a structure of society instead of the cultural divide between high culture and low culture. He also suggests that the culture of each group, or class or whole society should be unique, and the different culture should be susceptible of influence from the other for its development or refinement.