How to Appreciate T.S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot is considered one of the greatest modern poets. Born in the U.S. in 1888, Thomas Stearns Eliot was educated at Harvard. At age 25, he moved to Great Britain and later became a British subject. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. While known best for his poetry, Eliot also was a playwright and literary critic.
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Instructions
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Read the poems. While not a prolific writer, T. S. Eliot's poetry is some of the best known and most quoted. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," "The Waste Land" and "Four Quartets" are among his most famous and highly regarded poems. Look at Eliot's use of language, the tone of the poems and the theme of disenfranchisement.
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Examine Eliot's plays. While not as popular as his poems, Eliot wrote several noteworthy plays. "Murder in the Cathedral" and "The Cocktail Party" are two of his most noted plays. Eliot relies on history for both of these works; "Murder in the Cathedral" is about the murder of St. Thomas Becket in 1170 and "The Cocktail Party" was influenced by the Greek playwright, Euripides. Eliot has a common theme in his poetry and plays: an unorthodox view of Christianity and the impact of marital strife.
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Review the essays. Eliot was also an essayist and literary critic, considered by some to be one of the 20th century's best literary critics. "Tradition and the Individual Talent" is one of his essays that addresses art and individual expression.
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Buy a ticket to "Cats." Eliot wrote "The Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," a collection of light verse. While not considered his greatest literary work, it is certainly his most famous, as it was adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber as the popular musical "Cats." While considered children's verse, or light poetry, this Eliot writing still retains a sad, sometimes nostalgic look at life.
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Tips & Warnings
Eliot's imagery may be his strongest talent in writing. Look at the images Eliot uses to convey emotion and perception. This can make analyzing Eliot's tone much easier to read.
