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2 | 2 | ||
</sup> | </sup>. T.S. Eliot, as he was professionally known, composed the poem in 1922 to fulfill a $150 commission from the transcendentalist publication | ||
. T.S. Eliot, as he was professionally known, composed the poem in 1922 to fulfill a $150 commission from the transcendentalist publication | |||
<em> | <em> | ||
The Dial | The Dial | ||
</em> | </em> | ||
while on leave of absence from his job as a teller at Lloyd's Bank | while on leave of absence from his job as a teller at Lloyd's Bank | ||
<sup> | <sup>3</sup>. With its sudden changes of tense, perspective, and time period, | ||
3 | |||
</sup> | |||
. With its sudden changes of tense, perspective, and time period, | |||
<em> | <em> | ||
The Waste Land | The Waste Land | ||
</em> | </em> | ||
was thought to be impenetrable upon its release. The density of its reference points alone was completely unprecedented. Ideas from | was thought to be impenetrable upon its release. The density of its reference points alone was completely unprecedented. Ideas from | ||
[[dharma]] | [[dharma|Buddhism]], | ||
, | [[error|Greek Mythology]], the Hindu | ||
[[error]] | [[error|Upanishads]], the poems of | ||
, the Hindu | [[baudelaire|Charles Baudelaire]], the | ||
[[error]] | |||
, the | |||
[[baudelaire]] | |||
, the | |||
[[apocrypha]] | [[apocrypha]] | ||
of | of | ||
[[error]] | [[error|Saint Augustine of Hippo]], and, prominently, the | ||
, and, prominently, the | [[error|Tarot of Marseilles]], commingle throughout the poem in a stew of charded narratives and layered imagery. Through the use of digitized lexicography, the poem is now commonly thought of as a metaphorical | ||
[[error]] | |||
, commingle throughout the poem in a stew of charded narratives and layered imagery. Through the use of digitized lexicography, the poem is now commonly thought of as a metaphorical | |||
[[codex]] | [[codex]] | ||
for Eliot's tumultuous marriage | for Eliot's tumultuous marriage | ||
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</sup> | </sup> | ||
to Vivienne Haigh-Wood. A vivacious and passionate woman, Haigh-Wood was often represented as a | to Vivienne Haigh-Wood. A vivacious and passionate woman, Haigh-Wood was often represented as a | ||
[[incubus]] | [[incubus|succubus]] | ||
or nymph in Eliot's work, lending credence to the rumors that he was a closeted homosexual. Although | or nymph in Eliot's work, lending credence to the rumors that he was a closeted homosexual. Although | ||
<em> | <em> | ||
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is now regarded in most academic circles as canon, the poem was referenced in the | is now regarded in most academic circles as canon, the poem was referenced in the | ||
<em> | <em> | ||
[[gravitys-rainbow]] | [[gravitys-rainbow|Gravity's Rainbow]] | ||
</em> | </em> | ||
Pulitzer hearings as an example of nonsensical pseudo-literature. | Pulitzer hearings as an example of nonsensical pseudo-literature. | ||
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</sup> | </sup> | ||
Term for Boston's W.A.S.P. (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) [disambiguation: | Term for Boston's W.A.S.P. (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) [disambiguation: | ||
[[hair-metal]] | [[hair-metal|Hair Metal]]] upper class coined by Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. in 1860. The term "Brahmin" is taken from the Hindu caste system, meaning | ||
] upper class coined by Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. in 1860. The term "Brahmin" is taken from the Hindu caste system, meaning | <em>priestly</em>. Oddly, the Boston Brahmins supported the Confederacy in the American Civil War of 1861. | ||
<em> | |||
priestly | |||
</em> | |||
. Oddly, the Boston Brahmins supported the Confederacy in the American Civil War of 1861. | |||
</p> | </p> | ||
<p> | <p> | ||
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</em> | </em> | ||
</p> | </p> | ||
Revision as of 14:09, 12 March 2024
The Waste Land
aka
La Terre des Dechets
[related: T.S. Eliot, Boston Brahmin]
Epic poem published in 1922 by Boston Brahmin
1
Thomas Stearns Eliot OM
2
. T.S. Eliot, as he was professionally known, composed the poem in 1922 to fulfill a $150 commission from the transcendentalist publication
The Dial
while on leave of absence from his job as a teller at Lloyd's Bank
3. With its sudden changes of tense, perspective, and time period,
The Waste Land
was thought to be impenetrable upon its release. The density of its reference points alone was completely unprecedented. Ideas from
Buddhism,
Greek Mythology, the Hindu
Upanishads, the poems of
Charles Baudelaire, the
apocrypha
of
Saint Augustine of Hippo, and, prominently, the
Tarot of Marseilles, commingle throughout the poem in a stew of charded narratives and layered imagery. Through the use of digitized lexicography, the poem is now commonly thought of as a metaphorical
codex
for Eliot's tumultuous marriage
4
to Vivienne Haigh-Wood. A vivacious and passionate woman, Haigh-Wood was often represented as a
succubus
or nymph in Eliot's work, lending credence to the rumors that he was a closeted homosexual. Although
The Waste Land
is now regarded in most academic circles as canon, the poem was referenced in the
Gravity's Rainbow
Pulitzer hearings as an example of nonsensical pseudo-literature.
1 Term for Boston's W.A.S.P. (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) [disambiguation: Hair Metal] upper class coined by Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. in 1860. The term "Brahmin" is taken from the Hindu caste system, meaning priestly. Oddly, the Boston Brahmins supported the Confederacy in the American Civil War of 1861.
2 Eliot renounced his American citizenship and permanently emigrated to England in 1927 at the age of 39, an act for which he was awarded the Order of Merit by the British government.
3 The documented reason for Eliot's leave was "nervous breakdown". Eliot was rumored to have feigned increasingly erratic behavior in the weeks leading up to his request.
4 Haigh-Wood was committed to an asylum against her will from 1933 to 1947, the year of her passing - a span of time in which her husband never visited.
Ref# :: Eliot, T. S. :: The Letters of T. S. Eliot, Volume 1, 1898-1922. 1988.
"Vivienne ruined him as a man, but she made him as a poet."