Examination of Influences on Eliot's Poetry

Thomas Stearns Eliot, considered by many to be the greatest poet of all time, wrote some of the most beautiful yet complex poetry in history. For decades critics have argued about the smallest details of Eliots works. This is mostly because of the wide range of influences that he used, both old and new. In addition to being a superb writer, Eliot was also one of the most well informed literary historians of his time, and possibly ever. His poetry is riddled with allusions and quotes from such a vast number of historical literatures that it may be impossible to fully discover the number of references he used. However, there are some influences that always stayed with Eliot. The works of Dante, the Bible, and the ideas of Ezra Pound would continuously help to shape Eliots poetry throughout his entire life. Eliots use of allusion is one of the most prominent and reoccurring trademarks of his work. In fact, it can be said that Eliots sense of literary past has become so over-mastering as to almost constitute the motive of his work (Selby 23). The most preeminent of all Eliots influences is Dante Alighieri, the famous and influential Italian poet of the thirteenth century and author of the Divine Comedy. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, the first of Eliots major works and one of the most prestigious, begins with an epigraph from Dantes Inferno. The translation of the line reads: If I thought my reply were to one who could return to the world, then this flame would waver no longer. But, since I'm told, no one escapes from this pit, then I'll tell you without fear of infamy. The Dantean epigraph helps to set the mood of the rest of the poem, in addition to helping define the character by whom it is told. It helps to portray a situation with a feeling of hopelessness where turning back is impossible. The theme of not being able to turn back is echoed later in the poem within the lines I should have been a pair of ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas. In Eliots poem, Prufrock is confessing to the Dante-like poet his own sin of evil-counseling (Headings 26). Although not part of the actual poem itself, the epigraph is essential in that it prepares the reader for the experience of the poem and, along with the title, can help lead the reader to a better understanding of the work. Not all of Dantes influences are as easily discovered as the direct quote from his works. His mark can be found on Eliots titles and style also. The word observations, like the epigraph to the volume, is a Dantean allusion; the poet is paralleling the observer of those poems to Dante the Pilgrim(18) Even in a seemingly irrelevant title, Dantes influence can be found. Once inside the poem itself, one can find even more similarities. Prufrock, like Dante, is beginning a journey in forbidding terrain whose meaning and significance he cannot fully grasp (21). The characters that Eliot creates all throughout his life are very similar to those conceived by Dante. In addition to his characters, Eliot uses a writing style similar to that of the great Italian author. Eliot, like Dante, tries to stimulate his reader by first using language to communicate to the readers the feel of the Inferno(91) Dante wrote in vernacular, the language of the people at the time, instead of in the typical Latin because language was very important to him; he wanted the common man to be able to read his writing. Eliot also focuses on his language. He writes in various mode s of dramatic speech and makes regular use of the formal artifices of style such asalliteration, repetition, rhyme, assonance, and play on words (Pearce 74). Through his colorful writing, he tries to make the readers themselves feel like part of the poem. His belief in enriching the texture of his poetry in order to better help the reader conceive the image he is presenting mirrors that of Dante, who also tried to make his works clearer to the common man. In 1927, Eliot was confirmed into the Church of England. From that point on, the poetry that he composed followed steps of a different tone from anything that precedes it, though there is not by any means a division between the two phases (Pearce 16). Although the theme of his poetry henceforth became obviously and deliberately religious, there had always been religious influences in his works. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Eliot alludes to the New Testament in the line Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter / I am no prophet and heres no great matter. He refers to John the Baptist, a symbol of heroism, whose head was brought on a platter to King Herod. The Waste Land is filled with religious allusions and themes. Here Eliot uses traditional and biblical imagery of the seasons, of a spiritual wasteland (Headings 74). In only the first section of the poem alone one can find allusions to the books of Ecclesiastes,Isaiah, Luke, and Ezekiel. Both of these poems were written before Eliots conversion, proving that he had always been a religious man, mostly due to Dantes influence through his use of Christian tradition, despite the lack of a formal religion earlier in his life. The role of religion is more obvious in Eliots poetry after his conversion. Ash Wednesday, The Hollow Men, and The Four Quartets all have very heavy religious themes which are in contrast

to the unconsciously religious aspects of his former poetry. These poems present to us the experience of Eliot himself attaining faith (Pearce 105). He even uses lines from formal Christian mass services in Ash Wednesday in the lines Lord, I am not worthy / Lord I am not worthy / but speak the word only. This poem differs from his earlier works in that it is a far more personal experience; it most clearly speaks about Eliot himself. Along with the change in subject, Eliots religion changed his writing style. The poems that were written following his conversion are less striking than earlier poems, the vocabulary and syntax on the whole more straightforward (113). In addition to this, Eliot practically abandoned his former startling imagery. However, with this abandonment he brought a new tone to his poetry, one that is more gentle and serene. The language is almost that of a person thinking out loud, or musing (113). This simpler, more streamlined style led to a very different type of poetry than his former works. In fact, it is almost in direct contrast to the complexity of his masterpiece The Waste Land. Although they are both American, Eliot met Ezra Pound while traveling abroad in England. Shortly afterwards, Pound referred to The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock as the best poem I have yet had or seen from an American (Pound 40). Ever since then, he had an omnipresent influence on Eliots writing. At the time they met, Pound was deeply involved in the Imagistmovement. The goal of Imagist poetry is to capture a fleeting emotional experience in an image. Thus, they believe in a simple style, with great economy of words. Partly due to Pounds influence, Eliots writing is in common speech and is sometimes even colloquial, although complex in meaning and subject. Furthermore, Pound indirectly brought a slight Japanese influence to Eliot, since at the time Pound was deeply interested in the Japanese writing style. Pound also subsequently reinforced Eliots worship of Dante, as they each considered Dante to be the greatest of poets (Headings 47). If nothing else, he buttressed observations and beliefs that Eliot already held. Ezra Pound also had a more direct influence on Eliots poetry by editing and revising The Waste Land. The original form of the poem was nearly twice as long as the version that was eventually released. Amazingly, Eliot did not feel that violence had been done the essential form of the poem; certainly it was not maimed (Williamson 120). In fact, Eliot praised his performance (119). This is surprising, since Eliot had been working on it for so long and many writers feel cheated when their works are heavily edited. Certainly Eliot would not have approved of anyone else dissecting his masterpiece. In return for his assistance in both writing and editing The Waste Land Eliot wrote a dedication before the poem, which reads For Ezra Pound il miglio fabbro the better craftsmen. The Imagist influence of Pound is obvious through the drastic reduction of the poem, especially in Part IV Death by Water, which was reduced into merely ten lines; the others contain between seventy-five and one hundred and fifty each. These three influences (Dante, The Bible, and Ezra Pound) were the most prominent of all throughout Eliots life. Although they are not similar in any way, it is this wide range of influences that would define Eliot as a poet. While most people would choose a certain style to mimic and stick with it, Eliot tried to use the best of everything. His influences were taken from the different literatures of almost every culture in the world. The dissimilarity between his influences was covered up with ease by his smooth writing style and syntax. Because of this, Eliot became a revolutionary writer and one of the greatest poets the world has ever known. Sources: Pound, Ezra. The Letters of Ezra Pound 1907-1914. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World Inc., 1950 Selby, Nick. The Waste Land: Essays, Articles, Reviews. New York: Columbia, 1999. Gordon, Lyndall. T.S Eliot An Imperfect Life. New York: Norton, 1998. Bush, Ronald. T.S. Eliot: A Study in Character and Style. Oxfordshire: Oxford Press, 1954. Eliot, T.S. The Complete Poems and Plays 1909-1950. Orlando: Harcourt Brace, 1980. Headings, Philip R. T.S. Eliot Revised Edition. Boston: G.K. Halls and Co., 1982. Williamson, George. T.S. Eliot: A Poem-by-Poem Analysis. New York: Syracure University Press, 1998. Raffel, Burton. T.S. Eliot. Washington D.C.: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1982.