There is a line in Eliot's criticism ("The Function of Criticism at the Present Time"?) to the effect that Aristotle's reputation has suffered from some who might be described not as his followers but his votaries. Such may have happened to Trollope and Austen--persons who have slipped from being readers to cultists.
Oops. The essay is "The Perfect Critic" in The Sacred Wood; "The Function of Criticism at the Present Time" is by Matthew Arnold. The quotation, though, was not that far off:
"Aristotle is a person who has suffered from the adherence of persons who must be regarded less as his disciples than as his sectaries."
There is a line in Eliot's criticism ("The Function of Criticism at the Present Time"?) to the effect that Aristotle's reputation has suffered from some who might be described not as his followers but his votaries. Such may have happened to Trollope and Austen--persons who have slipped from being readers to cultists.
ReplyDeleteOops. The essay is "The Perfect Critic" in The Sacred Wood; "The Function of Criticism at the Present Time" is by Matthew Arnold. The quotation, though, was not that far off:
ReplyDelete"Aristotle is a person who has suffered from the adherence of persons who must be regarded less as his disciples than as his sectaries."