1888-1965

•Born in St. Louis, MissouriBorn in St. Louis, Missouri•Educated at HarvardEducated at Harvard•Influenced by French SymbolistsInfluenced by French Symbolists•At Sorbonne, followed lectures by H. At Sorbonne, followed lectures by H. BergsonBergson•Went to Oxford U. (thesis on Bradley)Went to Oxford U. (thesis on Bradley)•Settled in England during WWISettled in England during WWIThe Love Song of J. Alfred PrufrockThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 1915 1915 + early + early POEMSPOEMS deals with the deals with the •VACUITYVACUITY of of MODERN UPPER-CLASS LIFEMODERN UPPER-CLASS LIFE•DIFFICULTYDIFFICULTY of of COMMUNICATINGCOMMUNICATINGThey owe much to They owe much to French SymbolistsFrench Symbolists

19221922 founded Criterion founded Criterionpublished published THE WASTE LANDTHE WASTE LAND

director of Faber&Faberdirector of Faber&Faber

His way out of nihilism was His way out of nihilism was religionreligion; ; he became he became Anglican Anglican in in 19271927, ,

same year got same year got British citizenshipBritish citizenship

The Hollow MenThe Hollow Men (25) (25) The Journey of the MagiThe Journey of the Magi (27) (27)

illustrate his search for religious truthillustrate his search for religious truth

Attempted to revive verse dramaAttempted to revive verse dramaMurder in the CathedralMurder in the Cathedral (35) (35)The Family ReunionThe Family Reunion (39) (39) The Cocktail Party, The Cocktail Party, The Confidential ClerkThe Confidential Clerk were popular; they were popular; they combined religious/philosophical themes combined religious/philosophical themes with simple conversationswith simple conversations

The Four QuartetsThe Four Quartets (36-42) poems expressing (36-42) poems expressing fundamental Christian beliefs. They conclude fundamental Christian beliefs. They conclude the spiritual quest for faith that the spiritual quest for faith that The Waste The Waste LandLand had begun had begun

Awarded the Awarded the Nobel Prize Nobel Prize in in 19471947

433 lines long433 lines longDivided into five partsDivided into five parts

•The Burial of the DeadThe Burial of the Dead•A Game of ChessA Game of Chess•The Fire SermonThe Fire Sermon•Death by WaterDeath by Water•What the Thunder Said What the Thunder Said

The title refers to the The title refers to the MYTH MYTH connected to connected to fertility ritesfertility rites analysed by Sir J. Frazer in analysed by Sir J. Frazer in The The Golden BoughGolden Bough

PAST+PRESENTPAST+PRESENT interrelate + have a interrelate + have a simultaneous existencesimultaneous existence, just as they do in , just as they do in the mindthe mind

Time shiftsTime shifts are linked by are linked by FREE FREE ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS+FLIGHTS OF ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS+FLIGHTS OF THOUGHTTHOUGHT in the mind of the narrator in the mind of the narrator

It was interpreted as a comment on It was interpreted as a comment on •the futility of civilization after WW1the futility of civilization after WW1•the emptiness and confusion of the emptiness and confusion of contemporary lifecontemporary lifeLater it was clear it also referred to personal Later it was clear it also referred to personal “waste land”“waste land”

The central The central metaphor metaphor is one of is one of STERILITY, ARIDITY, IMPOTENCESTERILITY, ARIDITY, IMPOTENCE

E.’ s E.’ s STYLESTYLE is characterized by is characterized by •metric experimentationmetric experimentation•frequent use of everyday, even conversational frequent use of everyday, even conversational languagelanguage•lack of standard punctuationlack of standard punctuation

He often shifts from a style of He often shifts from a style of lyric intensity lyric intensity to to another of another of ironic or bitter realism ironic or bitter realism omitting omitting explanatory matter+links in the narrative chainexplanatory matter+links in the narrative chainHis poetry is difficult. He himself considered it His poetry is difficult. He himself considered it inevitable that inevitable that art should be difficult in our timeart should be difficult in our time

Two kinds of difficultyTwo kinds of difficulty

Poems of the first – nihilistic – phase up to Poems of the first – nihilistic – phase up to The Hollow Men, are difficult because of theThe Hollow Men, are difficult because of the

ABSENCE of CONNECTIVE+TRANSITIONAL ABSENCE of CONNECTIVE+TRANSITIONAL PASSAGESPASSAGES. .

He put disparate He put disparate IMAGES IMAGES and half disguised and half disguised QUOTATIONS SIDE BY SIDEQUOTATIONS SIDE BY SIDE

Poems of the second – Christian - phase Poems of the second – Christian - phase are more traditional in their are more traditional in their

syntactical+image structure, but their syntactical+image structure, but their PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUNDPHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND is quite is quite complex + E. plays on the etymology of complex + E. plays on the etymology of

wordswords

To the “waste land” E. opposesTo the “waste land” E. opposes•Western cultureWestern culture•The Middle AgesThe Middle Ages•The RenaissanceThe Renaissance•The great rhetorical+philosophical schoolsThe great rhetorical+philosophical schools•Non European culturesNon European cultures•Christian religionChristian religion

E.’s sourcesE.’s sources•ImagistsImagists: Pound+Hulme necessity for : Pound+Hulme necessity for CLEAR+PRECISE LANGUAGE+IMAGESCLEAR+PRECISE LANGUAGE+IMAGESECONOMY OF WORDSECONOMY OF WORDS•French SymbolistsFrench Symbolists: FREE VERSE: FREE VERSESORDIDNESS, UGLINESS SORDIDNESS, UGLINESS ofof MODERN CITY MODERN CITY LIFELIFE•MetaphysicalsMetaphysicals: WIT, HIGH RHETORIC, : WIT, HIGH RHETORIC, DARING IMAGES from different traditionsDARING IMAGES from different traditions•Dante:Dante: as expression of Medieval as expression of Medieval Christianity; complete range of emotions: Christianity; complete range of emotions: from hell’s despair to heaven’s beatitudefrom hell’s despair to heaven’s beatitude

OBJECTIVE CORRELATIVEOBJECTIVE CORRELATIVE

ONLY WAYONLY WAY of of EXPRESSING EMOTIONSEXPRESSING EMOTIONS in the in the form of form of artart

A A SITUATIONSITUATION, A , A CHAIN OF EVENTSCHAIN OF EVENTS WHICH WHICH SHALL BE THE SHALL BE THE FORMULAFORMULA FOR THAT FOR THAT

PARTICULAR EMOTIONPARTICULAR EMOTION