The Complete Prose of T. S. Eliot: The Critical EditionVol. 3: Literature, Politics, Belief, 1927-1929

Questions of Prose. To the Editor of The Times Literary Supplement

The Times Literary Supplement, 1391 (27 Sept 1928) 687

Sir, – In your interesting leading article of September 13 your reviewer makes one point which seems to me of some importance, and which may easily be overlooked. He quotes the well-known passage from North’s Plutarch (Coriolanus’s speech to Aufidius), and follows it with the equally famous version of Shakespeare, which he prints as prose. He observes that the version of Shakespeare is “a far better piece of prose than the original.” ¹

I make precisely the opposite observation. The prose of North is fine prose, the verse of Shakespeare is great poetry. And printed as prose, the verse of Shakespeare seems to me to be bad prose. As prose, it is difficult to grasp; as prose, it is badly constructed. North’s I find much superior – as prose.

What I think your reviewer, like many other people, has overlooked is this: that verse, whatever else it may or may not be, is itself a system of punctuation; the usual marks of punctuation themselves are differently employed. If your reviewer were right, the method ought to be reversible; so that some passages of great prose could be converted into fine verse; and I do not believe he can find an example.

Yours, t. s. eliot 24, russell square, w.c.i.