This term was coined by T.S. Eliot: "The only way of expressing emotion in the form of art is by finding an objective correlative; in other words, 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." This definition relates to the impersonal theory of poetry that Eliot held in such high regard. According to this theory, if poetry is simply an expression of personal emotion, it carries no significance beyond that person and so offers nothing new to extend tradition or meaning to the world. The formula for an emotion, on the other hand, can have meaning for almost anyone who is willing to pay close attention to the objects or events in that formula.
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