T.S. Eliot and the ideology of Four quartets
By: John Xiros Cooper.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 235
Subjects: Eliot, T. S. 1888-1965.; Eliot, T. S. 1888-1965 -- Political and social views.; Literature and society -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; Literature and society -- England -- History -- 20th century.; Social problems in literature.
Other titles: TS Eliot and the ideology of Four quartets
Description: Recent criticism of Eliot has ignored the public dimension of his life and work. His poetry is often seen as the private record of an internal spiritual struggle. Professor Cooper shows how Eliot deliberately addressed a North Atlantic 'mandarinate' fearful of social disintegration during the politically turbulent 1930s. Almost immediately following publication, Four Quartets was accorded canonic status as a work that promised a personal harmony divorced from the disharmonies of the emerging postwar world.

Cooper connects Eliot's careers as banker, director and editor to a much wider cultural agenda. He aimed to reinforce established social structures during a period of painful political transition. This powerful and original study re-establishes the public context in which Eliot's work was received and understood.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 216-227) and index.