Eliot’s Inheritance of the English Female Literary Tradition

Eliot follows not only the main literary tradition represented by Dante and Shakespeare in Europe, but also the English female literary tradition passed down in Britain since the 19th century. This can be seen in his construction of positive portrait of women, his focus on women's voice and the feministic qualities in his poetry. The female characters in Eliot's writings can be both lovely and holy, and can function as both guides and listeners. Eliot's inheritance of female literary tradition reflects his profound respect for women and great variety of his poetic creation and his sentimentality as a writer.