The Wasted Territory 1. Wasteland This lengthy poem is also, in our opinion, his best—though many fans of Four Quartets would disagree. It was written during World War II, when Eliot was struggling with depression over the loss of his first wife and the destruction of much of European civilization in WWII.
Eliot wrote the poem while on holiday in America. It's a narrative poem in twelve parts which follows American life from the founding of the country to 1920. The title comes from one of its major themes: that we are all caught up in a vast, meaningless destiny that can have no real effect on eternity.
It's a pessimistic poem, but one that calls for action rather than resignation. That's why it's included here - as a guide to living a good life even in terrible circumstances.
Eliot began work on it in July 1940, just months after the beginning of WWII. He worked on it until March 1941, when he sent it to his publisher with a request that it be printed now, while there's still time to stop this waste.
He died in 1964, but the poem has continued to attract new readers. In 2000, it was chosen by Newsweek as one of the 100 Best English Poems since Shakespeare.
Eliot was a poet, dramatist, literary critic, and editor of American and English descent. He is best recognized as a pioneer of the Modernist poetry movement and the author of masterpieces such as The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1943).
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 22, 1888, Eliot graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1910 and later received an M.A. from Columbia University in New York City. In 1911, he became a lecturer in English literature at Princeton University before leaving the position two years later to travel in Europe. Upon his return, he took up a post as assistant professor of English at Yale University from 1915 to 1920, where he began to formulate many ideas that would later appear in his major works.
During this time, Eliot published several books including four volumes of poems, titled after the lines of Shakespeare's sonnets; a collection of essays called Verses by One Who Is Young But Would Like To Write Books That Matter; and a book-length poem entitled The Waste Land, which some consider to be one of the most important poems of the 20th century.
In 1920, Eliot moved to London where he accepted a position as poetry editor for The Criterion magazine.
T.S. Eliot was an English-born American poet, dramatist, literary critic, and editor. His many other notable works include Prufrock and Other Poems (1917), Sweeney Agonistes (1920), and Journey to Italy (1928).
Eliot came from a wealthy family and was educated at St. Paul's School and Harvard University. After graduating in 1910, he traveled abroad for several years, visiting Germany, France, and Spain. Upon his return to London in 1917, he became involved in the world of literature and politics. In particular, he became one of the leading voices in the struggle against Fascism in Europe and America.
In 1920, Eliot moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he established himself as a prominent figure in the culture and politics of the city. He worked as a book reviewer for The New York Times and also wrote essays on various topics including religion, education, and music. In 1925, he became a regular contributor to The Atlantic Monthly magazine and went on to write more than 100 articles for this publication over the next nine years.
In 1934, Eliot returned to London where he lived until his death in 1964.
Autocorrect stinks. On a metaphorical level, "The Waste Land" speaks to the modern world's spiritual and intellectual deterioration. Throughout the poem, the idea of a waste place serves as a reminder that, according to Eliot, twentieth-century society is nothing more than a barren, desert-like world devoid of any redeeming features. Additionally, the phrase "wasteland for years" refers to the nuclear apocalypse scene in the film "Mad Max 2". Finally, the word "waste" also has a literal meaning in this case: garbage.
Eliot wrote about his obsession with the poem itself in his essay "A Literary Confession." In it, he states that he wants readers to understand that "the wasteland of my mind is not different from the wasteland of the world around me." He goes on to say that he believes that many people today suffer from mental illness because they live such meaningless lives. Thus, "The Wasteland" echoes these sentiments back at its audience.
Additionally, one of the most famous lines from the poem reads: "April is the cruelest month. She knows when you're weak from hunger or thirst, she doesn't give a damn...." Many readers interpret this statement to be an indictment of human nature, while others view it as a metaphor for cancer.
Finally, one must remember that the poem is largely allegorical. That is, it uses symbols to make important points about the world around us.
Thomas Stearns Eliot, in full Thomas Stearns Eliot (born September 26, 1888, St. Louis, Missouri, United States—died January 4, 1965, London, England), American-English poet, playwright, literary critic, and editor, a leader of the Modernist movement in poetry with works such as The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1925). (1943). His many honors include the Nobel Prize for Literature.
He was born into a wealthy family and was educated at Harvard University and Oxford University. After graduating from college, he traveled abroad for several years, visiting more than 20 countries during this time. Upon his return to the United States in 1916, he took a job teaching literature at Harvard, where he became friends with Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and other leading figures of the Modernist movement.
Eliot began writing poems at an early age and published his first collection when he was 25 years old. He went on to have considerable success with his poems, which explore various subjects including love, death, religion, and politics. He also wrote essays on literature and music that were widely read by other writers and poets.
In 1933, Eliot joined other European writers in protesting against the publication of George Herbert Mead's book On the Mind of Man. They argued that it contained ideas similar to those in their own work and thus violated copyright laws. The protest helped bring about the adoption of fair use into U.S. law.
T. S. Eliot is an American-British national.
Thomas Stearns Eliot, in full Thomas Stearns Eliot (born September 26, 1888, St. Louis, Missouri, United States—died January 4, 1965, London, England), American-English poet, playwright, literary critic, and editor, a leader of the Modernist movement in poetry with works such as The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1925). (1943).
The poem's original title, "He Does the Police in Different Voices," is in the first form of The Waste Land. The phrase was taken from Charles Dickens' novel, Our Mutual Friend, by T. S. Eliot (1864). The line reads: "He does the police in different voices."
Eliot probably chose this title because he was trying to make clear that these were not actual conversations between two people but rather various characters voicing their opinions on crime and punishment. This interpretation makes sense considering that the poem is mostly made up of excerpts from newspapers and magazines.
Later in his life, when discussing the poem with friends, Eliot often changed the title. One friend suggested calling it "A Song for Many Hands", which is what it becomes after being set to music many times over the years. Another suggested naming it after a river in Persia, which is where some of the poems sources come from. Still another suggested calling it "A Dream Poem".
But perhaps the most interesting suggestion came from Ezra Pound, who called it "A Lumbering in Texts". He made this comment in a letter to Harriet Monroe, the editor of Poetry magazine.
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