T. S. Eliot’s Social Reflections in his Selected Prose & Poetry: A Post-Structuralist Perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31150/ajshr.v6i2.3309Keywords:
T.S. Eliot, modernity, cultural decay, The Waste Land, PrufrockAbstract
T.S. Eliot's poetry and prose navigate the complex intersections of societal breakdown, psychological turmoil, and spiritual yearning, mirroring the disillusionment and fragmentation of contemporary society. Through emblematic works like “The Waste Land”, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, and “Ash Wednesday”, Eliot captures the decaying fabric of modern civilization and the resulting internal crises of the individual. His works frequently contrast the psyche's inward disintegration with the external deterioration of society, creating a profound dialogue on the estrangement and despair pervading the modern world. Notably, “The Waste Land”—with its fragmented structure and bleak imagery of sterile lands—illustrates the erosion of once-shared cultural symbols and the breakdown of a unified spiritual narrative. Eliot’s rich intertextuality weaves diverse religious, literary, and cultural references, underscoring a collapse in cultural continuity and shared meaning. Additionally, in essays such as “The Idea of a Christian Society” and “Notes Towards the Definition of Culture”, Eliot examines how Christian principles, tradition, and cultural continuity can counteract moral and cultural decay. Through both his poetry and prose, Eliot explores the tension between modernity’s chaos and the human pursuit of meaning, advocating for a return to spiritual values as a foundation for societal coherence.
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