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Thomas Stearns Eliot

Patricia Lam
Literature in Modern Media
Ms. Hohl
Period 2
30 April, 2015

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Preliminary Outline

Historical Context:
Information about the era in which writer wrote (keep in mind some authors lives overlap time
periods)-Political events

-World War II was already underway by the time the 1940s began and it was definitely the big
event of the first half of the decade. Plus, the Nazis established death camps in their effort to
murder millions of Jews during the Holocaust. When World War II ended, the Cold War began.
The 1940s also witnessed the assassination of Gandhi and the beginning of Apartheid.
(http://history1900s.about.com/)
- Modernism
-WWI and WWII

Social changes of significance

- The Roaring '20s were a time of speakeasies, short skirts, the Charleston dance, and jazz music.
The 1920s also showed great strides in Women's Suffrage and archaeology hit the mainstream
with the discovery of King Tut's Tomb. There were an amazing number of cultural firsts in the
1920s, including the first talking film, Babe Ruth hitting his home-run record, and the first
Mickey Mouse cartoon.(

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- The Great Depression hit the world hard in the 1930s. The Nazis took advantage of this
situation and were able to come to power in Germany, establish their first concentration camp,
and begin a systematic persecution of Jews in Europe. Other news in the 1930s included the
disappearance of Amelia Earhart, a wild and murderous crime spree by Bonnie and Clyde, and
the imprisonment of Al Capone for income tax evasion.
- The 1950s are sometimes referred to as the Golden Age. Color TV was invented; the polio
vaccine was discovered; Disneyland opened; and Elvis gyrated his hips on The Ed Sullivan
Show. The Cold War continued as the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet
Union began. The 1950s also saw segregation ruled illegal in the U.S. and the beginning of the
Civil Rights movement.
Early Life/Education: Dont get too detailed on little stufffocus on how your writer
represented the time period and how his/her personal experiences influenced his/her works.

- His first book of poems, Prufrock and Other Observations, was published in 1917, and
immediately established him as a leading poet of the avant-garde. With the publication of The
Waste Land in 1922, now considered by many to be the single most influential poetic work of the
twentieth century, Eliots reputation began to grow to nearly mythic proportions; by 1930, and
for the next thirty years, he was the most dominant figure in poetry and literary criticism in the
English-speaking world. (poets.org)

Background of parents, where/when born, childhood, experiences, profession(s), marriage,

children

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- Parents: His father, Henry Ware Eliot (18431919), was a successful businessman, president
and treasurer of the Hydraulic-Press Brick Company in St. Louis; his mother, Charlotte Champe
Stearns (18431929), wrote poetry and was a social worker, a new profession in the early
twentieth century
- Inherited maternal grandfathers name
-Poet, critic, editor
- Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 26, 1888.
- Lived in St. Louis for the first 18 years of his life and attended Harvard University.
- 1940, left the US for the Sorbonne, already earned both undergraduate and masters degrees and
contributed poems to the Harvard Advocate
- After a year in Paris, he returned to Harvard to pursue a doctorate in philosophy, but returned
to Europe and settled in England in 1914. The following year, he married Vivienne Haigh-Wood
and began working in London, first as a teacher, and later for Lloyds Bank.(poet.org)

Literary Style:
Genres (types of works), style, themes, subjects, influences

- Of his early work, Eliot has said: "The form in which I began to write, in 1908 or 1909, was
directly drawn from the study of Laforgue together with the later Elizabethan drama; and I do not
know anyone who started from exactly that point." Elsewhere he said: "The kind of poetry that I
needed, to teach me the use of my own voice, did not exist in English at all; it was only found in
French," and Leonard Unger concludes that, "insofar as Eliot started from an exact point, it was
exclusively and emphatically the poetry of Laforgue." To a lesser extent, he was influenced by
other Symbolists, by the metaphysical poets, by Donne, Dryden, and Dante. "His appreciation of

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Shakespeare," writes Sir Herbert Read, "was subject to his moral or religious scruples." With
Samuel Johnson, whom, according to Sir Herbert, Eliot "honoured above all other English
writers," he shared "a faith in God and the fear of death." (poetryfoundation.org)
- In December 1908 a book Eliot found in the Harvard Union library changed his life: Arthur
Symons's The Symbolist Movement in Literature (1895) introduced him to the poetry of Jules
Laforgue, and Laforgue's combination of ironic elegance and psychological nuance gave his
juvenile literary efforts a voice(english.illinois.edu)
- It was in London that Eliot came under the influence of his contemporary Ezra Pound, who
recognized his poetic genius at once, and assisted in the publication of his work in a number of
magazines, most notably The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock in Poetry in 1915. (poet.org)

Conclusion:
Details of death or current status, influence of author and works on British Literature or literature
as a whole.
- For many years Eliot had suffered from lung-related health problems including bronchitis and
tachycardia caused by heavy smoking
- When T. S. Eliot died, wrote Robert Giroux, "the world became a lesser
place.(poetryfoundation.org)
-Certainly the most imposing poet of his time, Eliot was revered by Igor Stravinsky "not only as
a great sorcerer of words but as the very key keeper of the language." For Alfred Kazin he was
"the mana known as 'T. S. Eliot,' the model poet of our time, the most cited poet and incarnation
of literary correctness in the English-speaking world." Northrop Frye simply states: "A thorough
knowledge of Eliot is compulsory for anyone interested in contemporary literature. Whether he is
liked or disliked is of no importance, but he must be read." (poetryfoundation.org)

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Patricia Lam
Literature in Modern Media
Mrs. Hohl
Period 1
30 April, 2015

Thomas Stearns Eliot

The 1900s was scattered with various significant events in history. Many important
events in history happened during the 1900s, such as the domination of the first total war(WWI),
the Roaring 20s, the great strides in Womens Suffrage, the first silent and talking film, the Great
Depression, World War II, and the Golden Age. Because there were various different movements
and achievements made in the 20th century, people were inspired to contribute to to its glory.
According to History1900s, the Roaring '20s were a time of speakeasies, short skirts, the
Charleston dance, and jazz music. The 1920s also showed great strides in Women's Suffrage and
archaeology hit the mainstream with the discovery of King Tut's Tomb. There were an amazing
number of cultural firsts in the 1920s, including the first talking film, Babe Ruth hitting his
home-run record, and the first Mickey Mouse cartoon. Color TV was invented, the polio
vaccine was discovered, segregation ruled illegal in the US, and the Civil Rights Movement
began. Although there were many positive encounters in the 1900s, some of the most terrifying
and unforgettables events occurred as well.
Two unforgettable moments in history included The Great Depression and the
persecution of Jews in Europe. The Great Depression hit the world hard to both the rich and the
poor. History.com says, By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its nadir, some 13 to 15

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million Americans were unemployed and nearly half of the countrys banks had failed. The
Nazis in Germany saw this downturn as an advantage and came to power in Germany to
establish their first concentration camp. The people of the 20th century had a lot more to handle
than the average person in todays society.
With all this history being made, many writers became huge influences on its peers. Born
in this era were Oscar Wilde, the controversial Irish wit, Lord Alfred Douglas, F. Scott
Fitzgerald, and L. Frank Baum. Among those people who took their inspirations to aspire others
came along Thomas Stearns Eliot, or widely known as T.S. Eliot.
Inheriting his maternal grandfathers name, Thomas Stearns Eliot was born on September
26, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri to Henry Ware and Charlotte Champe Stearns. Stated by
Poet.org, His father, Henry Ware Eliot (18431919), was a successful businessman, president
and treasurer of the Hydraulic-Press Brick Company in St. Louis; his mother, Charlotte Champe
Stearns (18431929), wrote poetry and was a social worker, a new profession in the early
twentieth century. Eliot had spent the first eighteen years of his life living in St. Louis and
attended Harvard University before leaving the United States for the Sorbonne. He had already
earned both his undergraduate and masters degree and even contributed his own poems to the
Harvard Advocate. After a year in Paris, he returned to Harvard to pursue a doctorate in
philosophy, but returned to Europe and settled in England in 1914. The following year, he
married Vivienne Haigh-Wood and began working in London, first as a teacher, and later for
Lloyds Bank, claimed Poet.org. His poetic vocation had been confirmed in 1909 when he
joined the board and was briefly the secretary of the literary magazine he once contributed to, the
Harvard Advocate.

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A fellow colleague from Harvard, Scofield Thayer, introduced Eliot to Vivien HaighWood, who he later married on impulse at the Hampstead Registry Office. His parents were
shocked and profoundly disturbed when they learned the history of her emotional and physical
problems. The married couple turned to a friend, Bertrand Russell, who took them in his London
flat. Sources said that Vivien and Russell had an affair, but no allegations were ever made. Eliot
was too busy desperately trying to support himself by teaching school and laboring on with his
Ph.D. Things began to go downhill for Eliot in 1919 when Eliot's father died in January 1919,
producing a paroxysm of guilt in the son who had hoped he would have time to heal the bad
feelings caused by his marriage and emigration. At the same time Vivien's emotional and
physical health deteriorated, and the financial and emotional strain of her condition took its toll.
After an extended visit in the summer of 1921 from his mother and sister Marion, Eliot suffered
a nervous collapse and, on his physician's advice, took a three month's rest
cure(English.illinois.edu).
Eliot was too consumed by domestic anxiety to appreciate the success of The Waste Land.
In despair, Eliot came close to a second breakdown due to the near death of Vivien, but years
passed and their marriage slowly deteriorated. He spent much of his time away from Vivien,
studying his Norton year at Harvard, which contributed to the distance between them. Because
she had no children to care for her when Eliot wasnt there, she was then committed to
Northumberland House in 1938, a mental hospital north of London.
One of Eliots greatest influences is Laforgue in which Poetry Foundation had quoted,
"The form in which I began to write, in 1908 or 1909, was directly drawn from the study of
Laforgue together with the later Elizabethan drama; and I do not know anyone who started from
exactly that point." Elsewhere he said: "The kind of poetry that I needed, to teach me the use of

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my own voice, did not exist in English at all; it was only found in French," and Leonard Unger
concludes that, "insofar as Eliot started from an exact point, it was exclusively and emphatically
the poetry of Laforgue." To a lesser extent, he was influenced by other Symbolists, by the
metaphysical poets, by Donne, Dryden, and Dante. "His appreciation of Shakespeare," writes Sir
Herbert Read, "was subject to his moral or religious scruples." With Samuel Johnson, whom,
according to Sir Herbert, Eliot "honoured above all other English writers," he shared "a faith in
God and the fear of death." Eliot had claimed that he discovered a book in December 1908 from
the Harvard Union Library that changed his life; it was Arthur Symons The Symbolist Movement
in Literature.
Eliot had a large collection of writing that consisted of prose, poems, plays, and
nonfiction pieces. Some of his most famous works are: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The
Waste Land, The Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday and Four Quarters. According to The Guardian,
The Waste Land replaces the assumed single voice of dramatic monologues like The Love Song
of J Alfred Prufrock with a polyphony of many different speakers dclass European
aristocrats, a neurotic woman who might be Eliot's first wife Vivienne, another distraught woman
("the hyacinth girl"), a couple of cockneys bickering in a pub, a modern Dante wandering
London as if it were Limbo ("I had not thought death had undone so many"), a ragtime singer, a
couple of Wagnerian tenors. The Waste Land represents Eliot because he tried to include his
personal tragic experiences.
For many years, Eliot suffered from many health problems including bronchitis and
tachycardia caused by his heavy smoking. He passed away in 1965 and Robert Giroux wrote that
"the world became a lesser place. The Poetry Foundation stated that Certainly the most
imposing poet of his time, Eliot was revered by Igor Stravinsky "not only as a great sorcerer of

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words but as the very key keeper of the language." For Alfred Kazin he was "the mana known as
'T. S. Eliot,' the model poet of our time, the most cited poet and incarnation of literary
correctness in the English-speaking world." Northrop Frye simply states: "A thorough knowledge
of Eliot is compulsory for anyone interested in contemporary literature. Whether he is liked or
disliked is of no importance, but he must be read."

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Works Cited

Eliot, T. S. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" in Poems 1909-1925. London: Faber & Faber,
1924. Gleeditions.Web. DATE OF ACCESS.

"T.S. Eliot Collection." T.S. Eliot Collection at Bartleby.com. Bartleby, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.bartleby.com/people/Eliot-Th.html>.

"T. S. Eliot." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/t-s-eliot>.+

"T.S. Eliot." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/t-s-eliot>.

"T.S. Eliot." T.S. Eliot. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/eliot.htm>.