Disturbing the Universe

1. Disturbing the Universe HUM 3285: British and American Literature Spring 2011 Dr. Perdigao January 24, 2011

2. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) • 1888 Thomas Stearns Eliot born in St. Louis, Missouri, seventh and youngest child • 1898 Attends Smith Academy, school founded by grandfather • 1905 Publishes poems in Smith Academy Record; enrolls in Milton Academy to prepare for Harvard • 1906 Attends Harvard • 1907 Publishes poems in Harvard Advocate • 1909 Receives A.B. at Harvard—courses in Greek, Latin, German, French and English language and literature, history, Florentine painting, philosophy • 1910 Composes Class of 1910 Ode, Receives M.A.; attends lectures at the Sorbonne • 1911 Returns to Harvard Graduate School for doctorate in philosophy; course in Indic Philology, Sanskrit, and Indian Philosophy. Completes “Prufrock” • 1912 Appointed Assistant in Philosophy • 1914 Awarded traveling fellowship to study philosophy for year at Oxford; meets Ezra Pound • 1915 “Prufrock and other poems 1911-1912 published; takes job as teacher at High Wycombe Grammar School • 1916 Becomes Junior Master at Highgate Junior School; dissertation accepted • 1917 Enters Colonial and Foreign Department of Lloyds Bank in the City of London; becomes Assistant Editor of The Egoist

3. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) • 1919 “Tradition and the Individual Talent” published in The Egoist • 1921 Suffers breakdown, three months leave from Lloyds Bank, completes drafting of The Waste Land • 1922 The Waste Land published in The Criterion • 1925 Goes into publishing with Faber & Gwyer, publishes Poems 1909-1925 • 1927 Baptized and confirmed in Church of England; becomes a naturalized British citizen • 1932 Selected Essays 1917-1932; Charles Eliot Norton Lecturer at Harvard • 1936 Collected Poems 1909-1935 published • 1947 Honorary doctorates by Harvard, Yale, and Princeton • 1948 Awarded Nobel Prize for Literature • 1952 The Complete Poems and Plays published in the US • 1963 Collected Poems 1909-1962 • 1964 Awarded US Medal of Freedom • 1965 Dies January 4; ashes later interred in west end of parish church of East Coker

4. Reenvisioning The Waste Land • http://www.blork.org/blorkblog/2007/10/20/i-can-has-waste-land/ • http://www.corprew.org/blog/2007/10/17/lolcat-wasteland/ (full poem)

5. Traditions • “I have now got started on a long subject which I have not now either time or energy to carry out—instead of replying simply to a question of civilisation and culture. I think two things are wanted—civilisation which is impersonal, traditional (by ‘tradition’ I don’t mean stopping in the same place) and which forms people unconsciously . . . and culture—which is a personal interest and curiosity in particular things—I think it is largely the historical sense, which is not simply knowledge of history, a sense of balance which does not deaden one’s personal taste, but trains one to discriminate one’s passions from objective criticism.” (Letters I, pp. 317-18) (qtd. in Jean-Michel Rabaté 211) • “Eliot’s poetry is primarily a poetry of the city, a city which actualizes the ‘mythical method’ of Ulysses while doing away with the classical unities of time, place and action” (Rabaté 213). • As writer in exile, problem with language; idea of language failure • “No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists” (Eliot 2320).