LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 12 December 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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The Waste Land in the Light of T. S. Eliot’s Concept of Tradition

Muhammad Khan Sangi, Ph.D. and Farhan Ebadat Yar Khan, Ph.D.

Abstract

‘The Wasteland’ is one of the most representative of T S Eliot’s poems to depict the use of his typical critical concepts. It shows ample use of the idea of literary tradition as described by Eliot in his critical writings. The mention of characters, situations, ideas and phrases from the noteworthy earlier literary works give the poem a definite title of being the 'traditional poem' from Eliot's point of view.

Eliot creates the new form by using literary allusions which actually make his footnotes part of the poem. Eliot was of the opinion that a firm correlation with the past is satisfying to readers; he recognized the need for a new genre to deal with the feelings of the people who suffered a lot in the post-war world. At various places, lines from many different past masters have been included to support his own ideas; thus making his own ideas stronger than as presented before. What Eliot does to make his work different, is that he uses allusions and images that are firmly grounded especially in English literature, so much so that, according to Ames, there is a "collective memory" of the images.

The intertextual use of a number of classics has been made so enormously that, at least, for an educated reader, the understanding of them has been contextually and innovatively clear. “The Waste Land” expresses feelings by using references to works that have an extensive amount of criticism. This paper evaluates Eliot’s use of techniques by means of which he has tried to maintain his concept of tradition in this his poem ‘The Wasteland’.

Eliot’s Critical Concepts

Since the poem ‘The Wasteland’ is said to be the most representative of Eliot's entire work, considerable evidences are found in the poem regarding the true practice of the poet's given critical concepts. Like the concept of impersonality, the canon of tradition is also well practiced in this poem.

In a number of places in the poem, the reader is artistically reminded of various great literary, religious and cultural points especially belonging to past. The mention of characters, situations, ideas and phrases from the noteworthy earlier literary works give the poem a definite title of being the 'traditional poem' from Eliot's point of view.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Muhammad Khan Sangi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Institute of English Language & Literature
University of Sindh, Jamshoro
Pakistan
sangi_mk@yahoo.com

Farhan Ebadat Yar Khan, Ph.D.
Professor of English Language & Literature
Govt. Islamia College Civil Lines
Lahore
Pakistan
dr.farhanebadatyarkhan@gmail.com
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