The Waste Land

T. S. Eliot

May 2022 · DigiCat

About this eBook

The Waste Land is a poem by T. S. Eliot. The poem merges the myth of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King, with illustrations of early 20th century British society and is generally considered to be a central work of modernist poesy.

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About the author

T. S. Eliot, born Thomas Stearns Eliot on September 26, 1888, in St. Louis, Missouri, was a towering figure in English literature and is considered one of the leading poets of the 20th century. Eliot's contribution to the modernist movement was profound, having earned a permanent place in literary history with his innovative use of language and form. He pursued higher education at Harvard, the Sorbonne, and Oxford before settling in England, where he eventually became a British citizen. His most renowned work, 'The Waste Land' (1922), is a seminal poem that captures the disillusionment of the post-World War I generation and the search for renewal in a fragmented world. The poem's revolutionary structure, use of intertextuality, and exploration of spiritual emptiness have been widely studied and written about, reflecting Eliot's expertise in both symbolism and versification. Aside from poetry, Eliot also made significant contributions to the essay form and was a notable playwright, with works like 'Murder in the Cathedral' adding to his repertoire. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, and his literary style, marked by a deep cultural allusion and a quest for religious and metaphysical understanding, has profoundly influenced poetry and criticism. Eliot's works, characterized by their intellectual rigor and emotional restraint, continue to be a subject of academic interest and literary admiration.