Author Description
Primitive and metropolitan life nourished T. S. Eliot's imagination and emerged as recurrent themes in his work. Examining these twin concerns, Robert Crawford sheds new light on the poet's achievement--particularly those works that culminated in The Waste Land and Sweeney Agonistes--and clarifies Eliot's relentless obsession with "savages" and sophisticates.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This study investigates how the dual concepts of primitive life and metropolitan existence shaped the thematic development and creative output of T.S. Eliot. Robert Crawford, an academic specializing in modern literature, utilizes a biographical and textual analysis to demonstrate how Eliot's fascination with the 'savage' and the sophisticated city dweller informed his major poetic works. By examining Eliot's intellectual history and cultural influences, the author provides a framework for understanding the poet's complex engagement with early 20th-century urban identity.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the influence of primitive and metropolitan imagery on Eliot's poetry.
- Detailed examination of the development leading to The Waste Land and Sweeney Agonistes.
- Scholarly exploration of Eliot's obsession with the dichotomy between the savage and the sophisticate.
- Contextualization of Eliot's work within the broader scope of modernist literary movements.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and critics frequently cite this monograph as a foundational text for understanding the thematic underpinnings of Eliot's major poems. The prose is noted for its academic rigor and its ability to synthesize biographical detail with close textual analysis.
Page Count:
264
Publication Date:
1988-01-07
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
019812869X
ISBN-13:
9780198128694
Poetry
Biography
Literary theory
Modernism
Literary Criticism
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