Literary Theory & Criticism
What is T.S. Eliot's concept of the 'Objective Correlative'?
Verified Academic Answer for CUET PG 2027
T.S. Eliot popularized the term 'Objective Correlative' in his 1919 critical essay "Hamlet and His Problems".
Definition:
Eliot defines it as:
"A set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion; such that when the external facts, which must terminate in sensory experience, are given, the emotion is immediately evoked."
Application to Hamlet:
Eliot famously deemed Shakespeare's Hamlet "an artistic failure" because Hamlet's emotional disgust is excessive and lacks an adequate objective correlative in the characters and events of the play.