T. S. Eliot in Context

434 Pages·2011·1.71 MB·English

by  Jason Harding (editor)

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T. S. ELIOT IN CONTEXT
T. S. Eliot’s work demands much from his readers. The more the
readerknowsabouthisallusionsandhisrangeofculturalreference,
the more rewarding are his poems, essays and plays. This book is
carefullydesignedtoprovideanauthoritativeandcoherentexamin-
ation of those contexts essential to the fullest understanding of his
challenging and controversial body of work. It explores a broad
range of subjects relating to Eliot’s life and career; key literary,
intellectual, social and historical contexts; as well as the critical
reception of his oeuvre. Taken together, these chapters sharpen
criticalappreciationofEliot’swritingsandpresentacomprehensive,
composite portrait of one of the twentieth century’s pre-eminent
menofletters.Drawingonoriginalresearch,T.S.EliotinContextis
a timely contribution to an exciting reassessment of Eliot’s life and
works and will provide a valuable resource for scholars, teachers,
students andgeneralreaders.
jasonhardingisReaderinEnglishStudiesatDurhamUniversity
and Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of English Studies,
University of London. His publications include The ‘Criterion’:
CulturalPoliticsandPeriodicalNetworksinInter-WarBritain(2002)
andT.S.EliotandtheConceptofTradition,co-editedwithGiovanni
Cianci(Cambridge,2007).

T. S. ELIOT IN CONTEXT
edited by
JASON HARDING
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T.S.Eliotincontext/editedbyJasonHarding.
p. cm.
isbn978-0-521-51153-7(Hardback)
1. Eliot,T.S.(ThomasStearns),1888–1965–Criticismandinterpretation.
i. Harding,Jason. ii. Title.
ps3509.l43z872562011
8210.912–dc22
2010038357
isbn978-0-521-51153-7Hardback
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1919 2010
In memory of Sir Frank Kermode ( – )

Contents
List of illustrations page xi
List of contributors xii
Acknowledgements xiv
List of abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
Jason Harding
part one life
1 St Louis 9
Earl K. Holt III
2 New England 17
Eric Sigg
3 Paris 25
William Marx
4 London 33
C.D.Blanton
5 Englishness 43
Simon Grimble
6 The idea of Europe 52
Jeroen Vanheste
part two forms
7 The role of intellectual 63
Michael Levenson
vii
viii Contents
8 Publishing 73
JasonHarding
9 Censorship 83
RachelPotter
10 Literary journalism 93
PeterWhite
11 Visual art 105
Charles Altieri
12 Dance 114
TerriMester
13 Drama 125
Richard Badenhausen
14 Music 134
DavidFuller
15 Radio 145
Michael Coyle
part three literary cross-currents
16 Allusion: the case of Shakespeare 157
Hugh Haughton
17 Classics 169
HannahSullivan
18 Dante 180
MassimoBacigalupo
19 Seventeenth-century literature 190
Jennifer Formichelli
20 Romantic and Victorian poetry 200
Michael O’Neill
21 French poetry 211
StephenRomer