T.S. Eliot: Key Points for UGC NET English, SET, GATE, CUET PG English

Early Life and Education

1. Birth and Family:

   • Thomas Stearns Eliot was born on September 26, 1888, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
   • He was the youngest of six surviving children in a prominent family. His father, Henry Ware Eliot, was a successful businessman, and his mother, Charlotte Champe Stearns, was a poet and social worker.

2. Education:

   • Attended Smith Academy in St. Louis and Milton Academy in Massachusetts.
   • Completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard University, studying philosophy, literature, and languages, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1909.
   • Spent a year in Paris attending lectures at the Sorbonne.
   • Returned to Harvard for graduate studies in philosophy from 1911 to 1914, where he studied Sanskrit and Indian philosophy.
   • Attended Merton College, Oxford, but did not complete his degree there.

Literary Career

1. Early Career and Influences:

   • Moved to London in 1914, where he was influenced by Ezra Pound, who became his mentor and helped him publish "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" in 1915.
   • Worked as a schoolteacher and later at Lloyds Bank in London.

2. Major Works:

   • "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (1915): Published in Poetry magazine, this poem is a landmark of modernist poetry.
   • "The Waste Land" (1922): Published in The Criterion, a literary magazine he founded, and later in book form. This poem is known for its complex structure, references to various literary and cultural texts, and its reflection of the disillusionment of the post-World War I generation.
   • "The Hollow Men" (1925): A poem reflecting despair and disillusionment with the modern world.
   • "Ash Wednesday" (1930): A poem marking Eliot's conversion to Anglicanism.
   • "Four Quartets" (1943): A set of four poems – "Burnt Norton," "East Coker," "The Dry Salvages," and "Little Gidding" – that explore themes of time, perspective, and spirituality.

3. Drama:

   • "Murder in the Cathedral" (1935): A play about the martyrdom of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
   • "The Family Reunion" (1939): A verse drama about a man returning to his family home.
   • "The Cocktail Party" (1949): A play that won the 1950 Tony Award for Best Play.
   • "The Confidential Clerk" (1953) and "The Elder Statesman" (1958): Other notable plays.

4. Literary Criticism and Essays:

   • Wrote influential essays, including "Tradition and the Individual Talent" (1919), which emphasized the importance of the historical sense in literary creation.
   • Edited and contributed to The Criterion, a literary magazine that shaped modernist thought.

Achievements and Recognition

1. Awards and Honors:
   • Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948 for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry.
   • Received the Order of Merit from King George VI in 1948.
   • Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.

Personal Life

1. Marriage and Relationships:

   • First married Vivienne Haigh-Wood in 1915. Their troubled marriage had a significant impact on Eliot’s life and work. Vivienne was later institutionalized.
   • Married his second wife, Esmé Valerie Fletcher, in 1957. She was his secretary at Faber and Faber and 38 years younger than Eliot.

2. Conversion and Religious Views:

   • Converted to Anglicanism in 1927 and became a British citizen the same year. His religious conversion deeply influenced his later poetry, including "Ash Wednesday" and "Four Quartets."

Later Years and Death

1. Later Years:

   • Continued working as an editor at the publishing house Faber and Faber, where he played a crucial role in promoting the works of younger poets.
   • Actively engaged in literary criticism and essay writing, influencing generations of poets and critics.

2. Death:

   • Died on January 4, 1965, in London, England, from emphysema.
   • Buried in East Coker, Somerset, England, the village from which his ancestors had emigrated to America. His memorial plaque in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey, includes his famous lines from "Little Gidding": "the communication of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living."

Additional Points

1. Impact on Modernism:

   • Eliot is considered one of the most important figures in modernist literature, influencing poets such as W.H. Auden, Ted Hughes, and Seamus Heaney.
   • His innovative use of structure, form, and intertextuality set a new direction for 20th-century poetry.

2. Faber and Faber:

   • Eliot’s role at Faber and Faber not only helped shape the publishing industry but also allowed him to mentor and support emerging poets and writers.

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