Autobiographical elements in " The Waste Land " by T. S. Eliot

Name :- Zala Krutikadevi. D

Paper :- 9    ( The Modernist Literature )

Sem :- 3

Roll no:- 15

Topic :- Autobiographical elements in " The Waste                     Land "

Submitted to :- Smt. S.B. Gardi

                       Department of English

                       M.K. Bhavnagar University.

Enrollment no :- PG13101037

One of the twentieth century’s major poets  “ Thomas Stearns Eliot “ was an essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and also social critic. He was born in St. Louis , Missouri to an old Yankee family. He lived in St. Louis during the first 18 years of his life and attended Harvard University.

1910 , He left the United States for the Sorbonne, having earned both undergraduate and masters degrees and having contributed several poems to the Harvard Advocate. In 1914 he married Vivienne Haigh – Wood and began working in London, first as a teacher and later for Lloyd’s Bank.

T. S. Eliot , transmuted his affinity for the English metaphysical poets of the 17^th century ( mostly notably John Donne ) and the 19^th century French symbolic poets  into radical innovations in poetic technique and subject matter. His poems in many respects during of the Victorian era.

His poem “ The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock “ – 1915,which is seen as a masterpiece of the Modernist movement.

INTRODUCTION OF THE WASTE LAND :-

“ The Waste Land “ by T.S. Eliot is called one of the most important poems of the 20^th century. It is a type of modernist poetry. The waste land is published in 1922 with 434 lines. First of all the poem appeared in United Kingdom. Then it published in a book form in 1922, December. The waste land is mingled of many languages. Here one mantra of Sanskrit language – “ Shantih  Shantih “ shown in that poem.

The waste land is a set of five poems taken together. Mythical method is basic of this epic. Poem follows the myth of the “ Holy Grail “ and the “ Fisher King “. After that Eliot also employs many literary and cultural allusions from the –

Buddhism , Hindu Upanishads and Western Canon.

According to literary and cultural allusions, poem changes time , location and speakers. There are satire , death , rebirth, ghost , war ,sex and also many things are together.

The Waste Land is divided into five parts:

These five parts of the poem are puzzling more with their different ideas, meanings, metaphors, references and also allusions. There is full and long descriptions of each part. The text of the poem is followed by several pages of notes and different messages and meanings.

The  poem originally contained almost twice as much material as the final published version. Due to Ezra Pound’s suggestion of changes although Eliot removed large sections. The Waste Land is much connected with Eliot’s personal life.

Autobiographical Elements In The Waste Land :- 

The first part : " The Burial Of The Dead " means - fertility God, burial service by Anglican Christian Church. 

In this part the opening lines are meditations Tiresias - representing Human being. 

April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

This part is connected with Eliot's early life when he was not physically well. He is struggling from a congenital double inguinal hernia, so that Eliot could not participated in many physical activities and he was prevented from interacting socially with his peers.

Second part " A Game Of Chess " is from Middleton's play women beware women- related with sexual values - sex becomes the matter of intrigue and seduction - cause of spiritual death and dissolution. 

The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Glowed on the marble, where the glass
Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines

This part is connected with Eliot's marriage life with Vivienne. He married with Vivienne Heigh Wood in 1915. But their marriage became fail because of Vivienne's health issue and also her lack of affection from her husband.

The river’s tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf
Clutch and sink into the wet bank. The wind
Crosses the brown land, unheard. The nymphs are departed.

" The Fire Sermon " is about Buddha's sermon and sermon on the Mount. There is also description of fire of " Lust " and " Desire ". Our good inner ideas are burning because of lust.

Water traditional element of  purification and regeneration but in the waste land it is a matter of death and lost become a source of destruction.

A current under sea	315
Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell
He passed the stages of his age and youth
Entering the whirlpool.

Death By Water is based on Eliot's friendship with Jean Verdenal , was killed in 1915 in the war, in Paris.

After the torch-light red on sweaty faces
After the frosty silence in the gardens
After the agony in stony places
The shouting and the crying

Here Thunder means - Akashwani in Upanishad Prajapati spoke in Thunder, to devotees are pointed out of the way of a salvation.  

• Here main matter is about depersonalization , is shown by Eliot. which is "  “a continual surrender of himself as he is at the moment to something which is more valuable. The progress of an artist is a continual self-sacrifice, a continual extinction of personality.”

• Here Eliot expresses his emotions , experiences and feelings though the poem The Waste Land. But it is not his personality.

• Eliot was born in Eliot Brahmin family in Boston with roots in England. Eliot grew up in two contrast culture as his father was successful businessman and his grandfather  established a Unitarian Church to St. Louis.

• Eliot got knowledge of philosophy from philosopher Henri Bergson in France.

• Eliot became a victim of jealousy and tolerance because of his unsuccessful marriage with Vivienne.

• Literature was an essential part of Eliot's childhood and surrounding atmosphere of him beside the big river in St. Louis.
• When he was in his sixties he wrote a private latter to Vivienne as he was in love with her and stayed in England only because of her. Marriage with Vivienne brought no happiness but the mindset of Eliot produced " The Waste Land ".

• Eliot's personal emotions and feelings drawn many images in front of  a world. It is unmasks the man behind.

“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality”.

CONCLUSION :- 

" Eliot's love dies ,

The Waste Land develops . "

These lines shows, moral and ideas of poem The waste land. Eliot expresses his feelings through this poem. It is also shows us that how poet surrendered his life in the process of creation.

Thank you.