Discuss the life and works of T. S. Eliot.

Ans.

LIFE AND WORKS

Thomas Stearns Eliot was born on Sept. 26, 1888 at St. Louis, Missouri, an industrial city in the center of U.S.A. His ancestors had migrated from England to America in 1688, His family was a rich merchant in Boston, New England. His grandfather established Washington University at St. Louis and left a number of religious writings. The father of Eliot, Henry Eliot did not enter the church. He was busy in brick-trade in St. Louis. He married Charlotte Stearns who was directly from Boston when they married. She was an energetic writer and social worker. Main concepts of our poet’s art are excerpts from his mother’s art. Thus, Eliot’s mother and grandfather contributed Eliot enough for religious making.

Eliot was sent to St. Louis school where he studied till 1905, when he went to Harvard University. In 1900 he won gold medal for Latin and he was considered to be an outstanding student. His father built a resort at Eastern Point near Cape Inn, in New England, and here Eliot passed his holidays. Eliot remained in Harvard from 1906-10 where he pursued a wide range of literature and language. He got the degree of graduation from Harvard in 1910 and showed much interest in the symbolic poetry of Laforgue. In 1911 Eliot went to Germany via Paris. There he came in close contacts with German writers. He studied Indian Philosophy and Sanskrit too. In 1913 he was elected as the President of Harvard Philosophical Club. He took another trip to Germany in the same year.

As the first World War began Eliot had to leave Germany. He visited England and continued his study in Oxford till 1915. He became a school teacher due to his financial difficulties. He made his thesis on Bradley in Harvard University and never returned to submit it. He met with Ezra Pound in England. He married her with the English girl, Vivienne Haigh in July 1915 and settled in London.

Works

Eliot’s poetry of early age written between 1905-09 is published as Eliot’s Juvenilia. His poetry of second phase was published as Prufrock and Other Observations in 1917. His third phase runs between 1918 25. Famous poems of this phase are : Gerontion, Burbank with a Baedekar, Sweeney Erect, A Cooking Egg Sweeney among the Nightingales. The Waste Land and The Hollow Men. His poetry of fourth phase is called as Eliot’s Christian Poetry and the poetry of fifth phase is called as The Four Quarters His dramas are: The Rock, a Pageant Play (1934)

Murder in the Cathedral (1935)

The Family Reunion (1939)

The Cocktail Party (1950)

The Confidential Clerk (1954)

The Elder Statesman (1959)

He wrote enough criticism of different authors too. He was a journalist also. He died in 1965.