2. •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 WWI
The Love Song of J. Alfred PrufrockThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 19151915
+ early+ early POEMSPOEMS deals with thedeals with the
•VACUITYVACUITY ofof MODERN UPPER-CLASS LIFEMODERN UPPER-CLASS LIFE
•DIFFICULTYDIFFICULTY ofof COMMUNICATINGCOMMUNICATING
They owe much toThey owe much to French SymbolistsFrench Symbolists
3. 19221922 founded Criterionfounded Criterion
publishedpublished THE WASTE LANDTHE WASTE LAND
director of Faber&Faberdirector of Faber&Faber
His way out of nihilism wasHis way out of nihilism was religionreligion;;
he becamehe became AnglicanAnglican inin 19271927,,
same year gotsame 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
4. Attempted to revive verse dramaAttempted to revive verse drama
Murder 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; theywere popular; they
combined religious/philosophical themescombined 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 concludefundamental Christian beliefs. They conclude
the spiritual quest for faith thatthe spiritual quest for faith that The WasteThe Waste
LandLand had begunhad begun
Awarded theAwarded the Nobel PrizeNobel Prize inin 19471947
5.
6. 433 lines long433 lines long
Divided 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 SaidWhat the Thunder Said
The title refers to theThe title refers to the MYTHMYTH connected toconnected to
fertility ritesfertility rites analysed by Sir J. Frazer inanalysed by Sir J. Frazer in TheThe
Golden BoughGolden Bough
7. PAST+PRESENTPAST+PRESENT interrelate + have ainterrelate + have a
simultaneous existencesimultaneous existence, just as they do in the, just as they do in the
mindmind
Time shiftsTime shifts are linked byare linked by FREEFREE
ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS+FLIGHTS OFASSOCIATION OF IDEAS+FLIGHTS OF
THOUGHTTHOUGHT in the mind of the narratorin the mind of the narrator
It was interpreted as a comment onIt was interpreted as a comment on
•the futility of civilization after WW1the futility of civilization after WW1
•the emptiness and confusion of contemporarythe emptiness and confusion of contemporary
lifelife
Later it was clear it also referred to personalLater it was clear it also referred to personal
“waste land”“waste land”
8. The centralThe central metaphormetaphor is one ofis one of
STERILITY, ARIDITY, IMPOTENCESTERILITY, ARIDITY, IMPOTENCE
E.’ sE.’ s STYLESTYLE is characterized byis characterized by
•metric experimentationmetric experimentation
•frequent use of everyday, even conversationalfrequent use of everyday, even conversational
languagelanguage
•lack of standard punctuationlack of standard punctuation
He often shifts from a style ofHe often shifts from a style of lyric intensitylyric intensity toto
another ofanother of ironic or bitter realismironic or bitter realism omittingomitting
explanatory matter+links in the narrative chainexplanatory matter+links in the narrative chain
His poetry is difficult. He himself considered itHis poetry is difficult. He himself considered it
inevitable thatinevitable that art should be difficult in our timeart should be difficult in our time
9. Two kinds of difficultyTwo kinds of difficulty
Poems of the first – nihilistic – phase up toPoems 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+TRANSITIONALABSENCE of CONNECTIVE+TRANSITIONAL
PASSAGESPASSAGES..
He put disparateHe put disparate IMAGESIMAGES and half disguisedand half disguised
QUOTATIONS SIDE BY SIDEQUOTATIONS SIDE BY SIDE
Poems of the second – Christian - phasePoems of the second – Christian - phase
are more traditional in theirare more traditional in their
syntactical+image structure, but theirsyntactical+image structure, but their
PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUNDPHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND is quiteis quite
complex + E. plays on the etymology ofcomplex + E. plays on the etymology of
wordswords
10. 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
11. E.’s sourcesE.’s sources
•ImagistsImagists: Pound+Hulme necessity for: Pound+Hulme necessity for
CLEAR+PRECISE LANGUAGE+IMAGESCLEAR+PRECISE LANGUAGE+IMAGES
ECONOMY OF WORDSECONOMY OF WORDS
•French SymbolistsFrench Symbolists: FREE VERSE: FREE VERSE
SORDIDNESS, UGLINESSSORDIDNESS, UGLINESS ofof MODERN CITYMODERN CITY
LIFELIFE
•MetaphysicalsMetaphysicals: WIT, HIGH RHETORIC,: WIT, HIGH RHETORIC,
DARING IMAGES from different traditionsDARING IMAGES from different traditions
•Dante:Dante: as expression of Medievalas 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
12. OBJECTIVE CORRELATIVEOBJECTIVE CORRELATIVE
ONLY WAYONLY WAY ofof EXPRESSING EMOTIONSEXPRESSING EMOTIONS inin
the form ofthe form of artart
AA SITUATIONSITUATION, A, A CHAIN OF EVENTSCHAIN OF EVENTS WHICHWHICH
SHALL BE THESHALL BE THE FORMULAFORMULA FOR THATFOR THAT
PARTICULAR EMOTIONPARTICULAR EMOTION
