Hope in The Waste Land

Hello everyone!

So previously on our poetry exploration, we looked at how John Keats was a prominent figure in contemporary society. Today we will look towards one of the most discussed poets and texts by both critics and poetry lovers alike. By the title I’m sure you can guess we are now moving onto the fabulous The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, which happens to be one of my favourites. For those who haven’t read the poem, attached is the link to poetryfoundations: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47311/the-waste-land

So, to start with housekeeping, The Waste Land was published as a modernist poem in 1922 and was heavily edited by a good friend of Eliot’s, Ezra Pound, for whom the poem is dedicated to. It is commonly thought that Pound influenced the detached and disjointed tone, evidenced by a draft of Eliot’s that currently sits in The British Library annotated and edited by Pound. This Article by Seamus Perry (2016) goes into more detail, https://www.bl.uk/20th-century-literature/articles/presences-in-the-waste-land

This outsider narrative that is created through the ambiguity of the poem allows a critical view to be taken upon the characters, voices and situations discussed. From women to matters of societal dulling and general impotence, the themes of The Waste Land and what creates Eliot’s bleak ideal is not too dissimilar to the concerns of modern society within politics and culture. Even the title itself is ambiguous in its interpretation. What wasteland is implied? A physical one? –considering the horrors of the first world war (1914-18) Eliot was writing after. Or maybe an emotional waste land relating to Eliot’s lacking hope for what he saw in society? – parallel to the themes he wrote about.  

Although I’m purposefully avoiding a closer reading of the text itself here, I employ you to read through yourself and provide your own opinion to what you think The Waste Land has to say. Personally, the way the poem was written and changed is pivotal to its impression and interpretation. Therefore, is Eliot observing these circumstances so that we may learn and avoid The Waste Land he fears? And does this provide modern society with hope that we may also learn from these situations? 

Bibliography 

1. Eliot, T.S. “The Waste Land” Poetry Foundation https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47311/the-waste-land 
2. Perry, Seamus “Presences in The Waste Land” The British Library, 2016. https://www.bl.uk/20th-century-literature/articles/presences-in-the-waste-land