Concetti Chiave
- Thomas S. Elior, born in 1888 in Missouri and deceased in 1965 in London, was profoundly influenced by his conversion to Anglicanism in 1927, impacting his religious beliefs and literary work.
- Elior's literary criticism praised the "Metaphysical Poets" and he regarded Dante as superior to English poets, highlighting Dante's ability to create vivid universal images.
- 'The Waste Land' (1922) reflects a pessimistic view of a desolate modern world through rich imagery and symbols, contrasting the fertility of the past with the sterility of the present.
- The mythical method in Elior's work attempts to impose order on the fragmented modern world, with myth serving as a structural element reflecting the cyclical vision of time.
- 'The Waste Land' is characterized by musicality through alliteration and assonance, using the objective correlative to evoke emotions, allowing readers to interpret the impersonal art.
Biography of Thomas S. Elior
Thomas S. Elior was born in 1888 in Missouri (USA) into a family of English descent and he died in 1965 in London.
In 1927 he converted to Anglicanism and this event signed a change in his life, religious beliefs and literary production.
He was interested in the European culture, literature, specially classical ones. He influenced the present and the following poetic and literary production as a poet as well as a critic.
Literary Criticism and Dante
As a critic
He discovered and stressed the importance of the so-called “Metaphysical Poets” (for instance John Donne).
He considered Dante as a better poet than English ones.
His words about Dante: “He was the poet who best expressed a universal situation, he created clear visual images”.
As a poet
Main works:
• The Waste Land (1922) --> before the conversion (Pessimism)
• Four Quartets (1943) --> after the conversion (Harmony)
It is a long poem and is perhaps the central work in the modernist tradition. ‘The Waste Land’ is divided into five sections:
o The Burial of the Dead
o A Game of Chess
o The Fire Sermon
o Death by Water
o What the Thunder Said
The title itself alluded to the collapse and desolation of western world, but all is implicit. The differences between past and present time are stressed through images, symbols and quotations from other languages and cultures (in particular classical and medieval ones), which represent the fertility of the past (symbolized by a glorious and rich land) and the sterility of the present (symbolized by a desolated land). --> PESSIMISM
The Mythical Method and the Vision of Time
The mythical method is also used to try to give an order to the fragmentation of the modern world, to its lack of values and heroism: the myth is proposed as a structural element because to the fragmentation of the modern world corresponds the fragmentation of the poem. Eliot uses references to the Grail legend and the story of the Fisher King.
The vision of the time
Eliot sees time as a circle, in which events are repeated forever and past, present and future are united.
The past is a sort of reflection of the present with -of course- some differences, which can make people able to distinguish the one form the other.
Nature mirrors what happens to human beings through the four element: air, fire, earth and water.
Death and infertility (represented by the rocks, which can’t house anything) are in contrast with the concept of rebirth (represented by the spring and the water).
Final part divided into two parts:
o The first one offers an apocalyptic description of desolation due to the lack of water. (References to the crucifixion of Christ and the journey to Emmaus)
o The second one describes the coming of the rain and a possible but not probable redemption. (References to the Hindu books of Upanishad where the Lord of the creation speaks through the thunder)
Style and Musicality in 'The Waste Land'
Style
In ‘The Waste Land’ musicality is a fundamental formal element: alliteration, onomatopoeias, assonances. Another important element is represented by the objective correlative, which communicates a particular emotion to the reader. Through the objective correlative the writer can show events and not describe them: thanks to this method the impersonality of the writing (also present in Joyce) is guaranteed and the reader can be free to interpret the text because the emotion of the art is impersonal (concept very similar to the idea of the “art for art’s sake”.
In this second part of Eliot’s production the previous nihilism turn into a research of harmony, inspirited by his conversion.
In this collection of poem, music and poetry are very close: in fact, each poem is divided into five parts like a symphony.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did Thomas S. Elior's conversion to Anglicanism influence his literary work?
- How does Elior's "The Waste Land" reflect his views on the modern world?
Thomas S. Elior's conversion to Anglicanism in 1927 marked a significant shift in his life, religious beliefs, and literary production. This change is reflected in his work, moving from the pessimism of "The Waste Land" to the harmony found in "Four Quartets."
"The Waste Land" reflects Elior's view of the modern world as fragmented and desolate, using the mythical method to impose order. The poem contrasts the fertility of the past with the sterility of the present, symbolizing the collapse of Western culture.
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