Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965) began his spiritual enquiry as a young man. At university he studied comparative religions and the medieval mystics. His thinking was greatly influenced by the philosopher Bertrand Russell and the poet Ezra Pound. Eliot's experimentation with forms of poetry were a kind of literary journey which may have reflected something of his spiritual journey. Termed one of the major Christian poets of the 20th Century'(1), Eliot's work on spiritual matters greatly appeals to me. I take pleasure from his ability with words and I am interested in the subject matter. The poem, The Hollow Men (1925) and two poems from The Ariel Poems collection (written and published 1927-30) are examined for evidence of Eliot's pilgrimage towards a Christian faith and his membership of the Anglican Church. The earlier poem, The Hollow Men, was published when Eliot was experiencing extreme personal difficulty in his work and with his first wife's poor health. Writing himself......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 1969
Approximate Pages: 8 (260 words per double-spaced page) |