Shoring Up Fragments Against Our Ruin: Quotations and Allusions
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==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
| − | From the beginning, Eliot utilizes the mythic method in order to inscribe meaning to and make sense of the chaotic post-war mentality of Europe, as well as to his own endeavors as an artist. The [[Dedication Annotations|dedication]] | + | From the beginning, Eliot utilizes the mythic method in order to inscribe meaning to and make sense of the chaotic post-war mentality of Europe, as well as to his own endeavors as an artist. |
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| + | The [[Dedication Annotations|dedication]] reads “For Ezra Pound. Il miglior fabbro,” which directly quotes Dante Alighieri’s dedication to the Provencal poet, Arnault Daniel, thus equating Eliot’s endeavors to Alighieri’s, and Daniel’s prowess to Pound. By looking at the elements of the preserved past, specifically in its cultural, literary and historical figures, Eliot intends to “shore up” the world against the ruin assured by the psychological trauma and disillusionment of the post-war period. The breakdown of meaning belies the underlying solidity of a unified “mythology” of a shared European culture and cultural identity. | ||
The [[Epigraph Annotations|epigraph]] to “The Waste Land” presents an excellent example of Eliot’s use of a single cultural unit, with varied and highly colored meanings, to proscribe many meanings to the structure of the poem as a whole. The quotation, about the Cumaean Sibyl, is heresay—a retelling of a telling of a myth—which adds to the conversational, unstable feeling of the poem. A character of Petronius’ Satyricon recounts the tale, probably as a way of showcasing his knowledge of Greek, since he seems to be foppish pedant, as evidenced by his prior conflation of Hercules with Ulysses. Operating under this interpretation, the epigraph acts as a humorous concession to readers who might thing Eliot’s work pedantic, considering its sizable inclusion of foreign language and regurgitated rhetoric. | The [[Epigraph Annotations|epigraph]] to “The Waste Land” presents an excellent example of Eliot’s use of a single cultural unit, with varied and highly colored meanings, to proscribe many meanings to the structure of the poem as a whole. The quotation, about the Cumaean Sibyl, is heresay—a retelling of a telling of a myth—which adds to the conversational, unstable feeling of the poem. A character of Petronius’ Satyricon recounts the tale, probably as a way of showcasing his knowledge of Greek, since he seems to be foppish pedant, as evidenced by his prior conflation of Hercules with Ulysses. Operating under this interpretation, the epigraph acts as a humorous concession to readers who might thing Eliot’s work pedantic, considering its sizable inclusion of foreign language and regurgitated rhetoric. | ||
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A Game of Chess concludes with a conversation regarding the female narrator’s duty to make a good appearance for her returning (husband/lover), fearing that her man will be lost. This depiction of a modern household reveals how people have succumbed to their own personal darkness while the aftermath of the war begins to descend onto London. Showing that man even outside of the war is not outside of the downfall that war brings. Humanity in general began to crumble as WW1 came around, and so A Game of Chess reflects that through the literature Europeans are most familiar with. | A Game of Chess concludes with a conversation regarding the female narrator’s duty to make a good appearance for her returning (husband/lover), fearing that her man will be lost. This depiction of a modern household reveals how people have succumbed to their own personal darkness while the aftermath of the war begins to descend onto London. Showing that man even outside of the war is not outside of the downfall that war brings. Humanity in general began to crumble as WW1 came around, and so A Game of Chess reflects that through the literature Europeans are most familiar with. | ||
| − | Eliot taps into Buddhist teachings to relate | + | Eliot taps into Buddhist teachings in order to relate past philosophical doctrines to the modern state of despair. The title of section three, “[[“The Fire Sermon” Annotations|The Fire Sermon]],” alludes to Buddha’s teachings regarding the burning of passions and vices. Buddha preaches and declares the burning of sensory body parts, leading his disciples, the Bhikkus, to be liberated from their passions. Eliot borrows this idea and distorts it. Beyond the title itself, the fire sermon remains an underlying message in the third section, blanketing every scene and narrative shift. |
| − | The incorporation of Buddha’s sermon offers a plethora of interpretations | + | The incorporation of Buddha’s sermon offers a plethora of interpretations. The implication of historical relevancy is existent, to be sure, but rather than validating the sermon, the text virtually inverts Buddhist thought. While the sermon depicts a constructive idea of the emancipation from worldly emotions, Eliot conveys the loss of passion with more negative connotations. Burning, and begging for God to “pluck” him out, one of the narrators within the text associates the modern feeling of hopelessness and agony to the sermon. These emotions blaze powerfully throughout modern literature as a result of World War I and distinguish this literary style from its precursors. |
==THE WASTE LAND== | ==THE WASTE LAND== | ||
