Introduction to T. S. Eliot (cont’d.) and The Waste Land: Discussion & Commentary, Part I

Dr. White continues his introduction to T. S. Eliot by exploring the poet’s somewhat rootless youth. Though an American by birth, Eliot was never comfortable for long in one spot –- or in one country. At age 17 he graduated from Harvard after only three years, and shortly thereafter left America for Europe where he continued to move frequently from country to country. In fact, much of The Wasteland was written while Eliot lived in Switzerland. White further posits that the poem, unlike much of its contemporary work, was far from what was considered the “romantic vision” of its day, dealing as it does with the world’s fascination for and love of death.

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