Symbol
Eagleton clarifies, "At the centre of aesthetic theory at the turn of the eighteenth century is the semi-mystical doctrine of the symbol…It was a unitary thing, and to dissect it- to take it apart to see how it worked- was almost as blasphemous as seeking to analyse the Holy Trinity. All of its various parts worked spontaneously together for the common good, each in its subordinate place.” Incorporation of symbolism in literature is a significant milestone for it permits readers to interact with various symbols which are mundane in their lives. Interacting with the symbols makes literature apposite and applicable. Symbols are contributory in relaying an author’s specific ideologies.
Imperialism
Eagleton states, "Imperialism is not only the exploitation of cheap labour-power, raw materials and easy markets but the uprooting of languages and customs-not just the imposition of foreign armies, but of alien ways of experiencing it. It manifests itself not only in company balance-sheets and in airbases, can be tracked to the most intimate roots of speech and signification." Imperialism assaults all facets of culture beyond the political sphere. The objective of an imperialist is to dismantle to entire culture with the intent of smoothing the course of suppressing the colonized communities. Dismantling the social fabric complicates the subjects' attempts to recover their autonomy.
Poetry
Eagleton expounds, “Poetry is an 'emotive' rather than 'referential' language, a kind of 'pseudo-statement' which appears to describe the world but in fact simply organizes our feelings about it in satisfying ways." Poetry appeals to a reader's pathos through incorporation of emotive diction. Pseudo-statements applied in poetry create imageries which readers can recognize and identify with. Readers' impulses are impacted in the course of reading poems.
1918
Eagleton elucidates, “ In 1918 Europe lay in ruins, devastated by the worst war in history. In the wake of that catastrophe, a wave of social revolutions rolled across the continent: the years around 1920 were to witness the Berlin Spartacus uprising and the Vienna General Strike, the establishment of workers’ soviets in Munich and Budapest, and mass factory occupations throughout Italy.” The war activates ‘social revolutions’ because it destroys all the social structures which had been solid before its occurrence. Turbulence in Europe elicits the revolutionary spirit among the Europeans. Moreover, the effects of the war contribute to the transformation of ideologies which encourages people to confront original dogmas such as those of science and philosophy. Consequently, philosophers focus on coming up with new ideologies to deal with the World War I-related turmoil.
