Background to the poem
Thomas Stearns Eliot was an essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic and "one of the twentieth century's major poets." He was born in St. Louis, Missouri to an old Yankee family.
The Wasteland is widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century. It was published in 1922 and is 434 lines long.
Eliot's poem loosely follows the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King combined with slices of contemporary British society.
The Wasteland is widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century. It was published in 1922 and is 434 lines long.
Eliot's poem loosely follows the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King combined with slices of contemporary British society.
Ideas and characters in the poem
Many agree that the poem is about how modern society is losing its connection with the past. The present day has become a 'wasteland' in which individuals go about their daily lives without giving thought to its deeper meaning. In many ways it is about the loss of shared knowledge of the past in the forms of myths and stories.
The poem starts with a woman speaking about the weather and her childhood. It then moves to a more general voice which laments the barren landscape and the fear this creates.
The poem starts with a woman speaking about the weather and her childhood. It then moves to a more general voice which laments the barren landscape and the fear this creates.
Finally
There are many different theories about what the poem 'means' and many, many books have been written about it. Eliot, the poet, even left extensive notes about what it might mean. However, people are still bring their personal reading to the poem because it is so ambiguous (does not allow one single reading). Each person who reads The Wasteland (like any poem) brings their own personal response and interpretation to it. Does it have one single meaning or is our individual 'reading' of it more important?