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Guide to T S Eliot Studies

Collection of Essays on T S Eliot


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Guide to T S Eliot

Studies

Collection of Essays on T S Eliot

Mohan Tilgul

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011)

www.educreation.in


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DEDICATED

To my revered parents

VAMANRAO RAGHAVENDRA TILGUL, was a legal luminary

and

Smt. INDIRA VAMAN TILAGUL

Who led a pious and ideal life

Which has been a continuous

Inspiration to me always.

Mohan Tilgul.


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FOREW0RD

It is a kind of term paper I have attempted here' says Mohan Tilgul, of his engaging essay wherein he examines what he considers as revolutionary trends in poetic creativity in Dryden, Wordsworth and Eliot, in all humility. A scholar poet himself, Tilgul has done ample justice to his chosen task, for he has analyzed the background and varied approaches of these three-trend setting greats with absolute clarity in a language at once pleasing and simple. He has indeed traced the development of English poetry from the Age of Reason to the Age of Eliot and Pond, through the Romantics.

Dryden was an admirer of Aristotle and Ben Jonson and a towering figure in the world of letters of his Age, to whom every budding writer looked up in awe and craved for his approval of their own writings. In his hands, Heroic Couplet acquired a polish and a rhythm close to the spoken idiom. He was a poet, playwright and a critic though he is best remembered for his satirical works; especially Absalon and Achitophel and Mac Flecknoe. He wrote profusely, and eminently justified what Samuel Johnson said of him... 'He found it brick and left it marble'. Tilgul considers in detail Dryden's Essay of Dramatic Poesy and his satirical poems. He particularly draws attention to the fact that though of neo-classical persuasion, Dryden had an open mind. He would not appreciate Aristotelian insistence on the Three Unities and whole heartedly admired Shakespeare.

Wordsworth's preface to the lyrical Ballads gave indeed a revolutionary turn to English poetry. He wanted the common man and his speech to be the stuff of poetry. Not for him the dry reason of his preceding Age. A worshipper of nature he loved the idyllic rural surroundings which breathed peace and tranquility and the simple souls moving around therein, happy with themselves and their carefree lives uncorrupted by the emergence of towns resulting from the Industrial Revolution. Tilgul comments on Wordsworth‟s preface and the creations to it from his contemporaries,


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particularly his co-contributor Coleridge. He quotes from Wordsworth‟s perennially popular lyric The Solitary Reaper and discusses his long autobiographical poem The Prelude.

The Modems led by Eliot and Pound veered completely away from the Romantics, reintroduced the Metaphysicals, and considered emotion and sentiment unimportant. The upheavals caused by the Industrial Revolution, degradation in moral and spiritual values, helplessness and confusion as man felt more and more rootless leading a mechanical and aimless life, measuring his life with coffee spoons, he had become a Hollowman. No place for sentimentality a pride in the past here. Tilgul seems to be particularly fond of Eliot. He examines Eliot's theory of personality as propounded in 'Tradition and the Individual Talent' and analyses his classic creation "Waste Land "(Which shook us all and made us devotees of Eliot in the 50s!!), Prufrock, and the Four Quartets as well as mentioning his plays. All the three, Dryden, Wordsworth and Eliot were scholar- poet-critics and influenced their Age as also coming generations immensely.

Tilgul says 'My target readers are students of English Literature'. Students will definitely profit going through this essay and all lovers of literature can derive from it both profit and pleasure. 'Songs of a Sparrow' arid other poems gave me a very pleasant surprise. Some of the mare nostalgic, evoking memories, sweet and sad. A bygone day, in particular the loving and grateful remembrances of times spent with a life partner who is no more. They are straight-from-the-heart outpourings, yet avoiding sentimentality and self-pity. Poems like Dear Departed, My Patience, and To My Beloved Better Half. Some are confessional like Early Encounter (a graphic poem of growing up) and Shadows (We stole from cotton bales/ In barter to taste sweet cakes on the road side/ Kept our mother in dark, no one blamed). Some give expression to the feeling of man's disturbance at the contemporary scene (selfish, corrupt and polluted) as in Trenches in the Heart, Universal Love, and Welfare State. What immensely surprised and pleased me, was the ease with which Tilgul can enter a Woman‟s consciousness and speak for her with such authenticity. Women‟s Day and Saga of being a Girl are amazing creations which would be mistaken by any reader as penned by a woman speaking out


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her heart in a male dominated world where „He” is always a “Saint” and „She‟ the „Sinner‟. My Mother is a very short and touching poem. Tilgul has rendered into English a few, very contemporarily relevant, songs of Saint Purandara Dasa. I have refrained from quoting from the poems for I find every line related so closely to the poem as a whole, that it is better appreciated when the poem is read in its fullness. It was by sheer chance that I met Sri Mohan Tilgul on one of my rare visits to Bijapur. I had almost cancelled my trip, but 'Yogayoga' drew me to Bijapur, for it was in my destiny to meet Sri Mohan Tilgul and his equally talented friends. They all remind me of Gray's Line 'Full Many a Flower is Born to Blush Unseen'. I am indeed fortunate not only to 'see' such a 'flower' but cherish its lingering aroma.

Dr. Venugopal Chakravarti HoD, English Department

Karnataka University, Dharwad


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PREFACE

Thomas Stearns Eliot (1885-1965), American-English poet is most recognized face of modernist literary figure during 20th century. No doubt he is still widely read and often misunderstood poet and dramatist. His contribution to literary and social criticism paved a new path the world over. Eliot as a poet, to use his own words, is “quite allusive and difficult”. I had started understanding him as poet a good poet describing the most disturbed West after the World war I. I was poor to understand his philosophical and spiritual tendencies. My close contacts with Christianity teachers in churches and their sermons I also had developed an interest to read translations of Islam, Christianity besides my own Hindu scriptures. My teachers used to tell us that readers needed maturity and good knowledge of myths and legends that we often come across in his writings. Prof. R.K.Kulkarni was kind enough to guide me in my translation of TS Eliot‟s The Family Reunion. My own experience has revealed that it is not for young friends in the colleges to grasp Eliot depicted a sense of “anarchy” and “futility” of modern life. It might differ from country to country, as situations differ vastly from region to region. And every language has its own culture. Now English as Common Wealth, English African American English literature and Indian writing in English is being studied. Naturally different culture and trends are bound to find their place in their literary efforts. IA Richards critical tries. But these different peoples were brought up different thought processes. This kind different approach is seen in India only, interpreting Eliot following India thoughts. Some have hinted that Eliot was on the verge of becoming a Hindu. But all such things are farfetched.

Many of my senior in the profession see that English

literature after 1970 taking a different turn. WH Auden did not agree with what TS Eliot said. And Auden dealt more with political and social themes. But he also became quite popular. Look at a strange coincidence. Eliot came from


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America to England to grow popular poet of 20th century while WH Auden went to America from England to gain that significant achievement.

Many other well-established critics also have pointed out that 20th and early 21st century literary developments have offered good opportunities for the students in under graduate and post graduate courses. Modernism and modernist literature gave scope for experimentations in poetry, fiction and drama. One of the glaring differences could be clearly identified is between literary production and material cultures of modernity in different parts of the world where English is widely spoken and well-studied. Post modernism has also seen the development of graphic novel, language poetry besides Japanese cartoons. English, Irish and Anglophone were quite popular. James Joyce and Virgine Woolff wrote in post-colonial literary flavors. And south Asian and Caribbean giants on the world scene. Similar were found American literature, Indian linguistic and English writers were more influenced by native cultural trends and language styles. Some of old generation teachers continue to judge by Victorian and later early 20th century styles. But we fail to judge the writing or poetry in their own style and approach but the culture and assimilated vision of the writers. Such things will not help up in any more. Recent Nobel prize winners need to looked into deeply. Writers like C.S.Lewis and Clive Stapples turned towards prose writing. 21st century literature is definitely world literature it almost announced the “Death of Print”. Very true especially in internet age. Journalistic style and language have also crept in.

Mohan Tilgul Vijayapura.


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Sample Copy. Not for Distribution.Dryden was an admirer of Aristotle and Ben Jonson and ... Unities and whole heartedly admired Shakespeare. ... Sample Copy. Not for Distribution