Reading T. S. Eliot

<p>In “Burnt Norton” the poetic speaker enters a rose garden a space of envisioned timeless illumination. This experience sets in motion a spiritual quest which will confer unity upon <em>Four Quartets</em>. For the poet himself it inaugurates a creative phase (mid-1930s to late-1950s) that strengthens his sense of faith and community. Eliot increasingly interested in playwriting completed his meditative masterpiece (<em>Four Quartets</em>) while undertaking his ambitious project to revive verse drama. Devotion to drama reflects Eliot’s stronger social awareness leading him to adopt popular forms: the pageant (<em>The Rock</em>) drawing-room comedy (<em>The Cocktail Party</em> <em>The Confidential Clerk</em> and <em>The Elder Statesman</em>) and children’s literature (<em>Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats</em>). As a critic he widened his scope to write about social issues (<em>The Idea of a Christian Society</em> <em>Notes Towards a Definition of Culture</em>). These aspects of Eliot’s career are influenced by concrete historical and biographical circumstances such as the impact of war and his ongoing relationship with Emily Hale who played a decisive role as his muse guide and mentor in his newfound passion for the stage. <i>Reading T. S. Eliot: The Rose Garden and After (1930s-1950s)</i> presents original work by numerous scholars addressing these facets of Eliot’s writing.</p>