22 Questions
What is a distinctive feature of modernist poetry, as seen in poems like 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' and The Waste Land?
Loaded with intertextual references
What does William Wordsworth's 'Preface to Lyrical Ballads' reject?
The elevated poetic diction of 18th-century neoclassical poetry
What is the role of the poet, according to William Wordsworth?
To communicate the passions of men and bind humanity together
What is the relationship between the past and the present in poetry, according to T.S. Eliot?
The past is altered by the present, and the present is directed by the past
What is the goal of poetry, according to William Wordsworth?
To present incidents and situations from common life in an unusual way
What is the relationship between the poet and the past, according to T.S. Eliot?
The poet inherits the past, but only through great effort
What is the purpose of poetry, according to William Wordsworth?
To present truth carried alive to the heart by passion
What is T.S. Eliot's view of poetry and the individual poet?
Poetry is an escape from personality and emotion
What was the officer's occupation in the Royal Naval Division?
An officer
What is the theme of the 'war sonnets' written by the officer in 1914?
Nationalist feeling
Where was the officer buried after his death?
Skyros
What literary movement is the poem's style reminiscent of?
Modernist Poetry
What is the tone of the poem's description of England?
Nostalgic
What is the poem's use of personification an example of?
Intertextuality
What is the primary focus of the poet's work according to the passage?
Using ordinary emotions to express feelings beyond actual emotions
What is the poet's goal in creating poetry, according to the passage?
To escape from emotion and personality
What is the significance of 'emotion recollected in tranquility' in the passage?
It is an inexact formula for the poet's work
What is the relationship between the poet's emotions and their poetry?
The poet's emotions are not directly related to their poetry
What is the key to achieving impersonality in poetry, according to the passage?
Surrendering oneself to the work to be done
What is the significance of the 'present moment of the past' in the passage?
It is a moment of awareness of what is already living
What is the characteristic of the poet's emotions, according to the passage?
Simple and crude
What is the primary difference between the poet's emotions and the emotions expressed in their poetry?
The poet's emotions are personal, while the emotions in their poetry are impersonal
Study Notes
T.S. Eliot's Poetry
- Enlarges meaning by echoing major and minor past poets, philosophers, dramatists, popular songs, western and eastern religions, and works of anthropology and history
- His poems, such as "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and The Waste Land, are modernist and loaded with intertextual references
- Won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948
William Wordsworth's Poetry
- Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1800) is a revolutionary manifesto about the nature of poetry
- Attacks elevated poetic diction of 18th C neoclassical poetry and rejects traditional principle of decorum
- Poetry can present incidents and situations from common life with imagination
- Defines poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of feelings"
- A poet is a man speaking to men, endowed with sensibility, tenderness, and a comprehensive soul
T.S. Eliot's "Tradition and the Individual Talent" (1919)
- Tradition cannot be inherited, but only obtained by great effort
- Involves a perception of the pastness of the past and its presence
- A poet's meaning is not complete without considering the past
- The past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past
- Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation are directed not upon the poet but upon poetry
T.S. Eliot's Views on Poetry and Emotions
- Poetry is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality
- Poetry is not the turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion
- The poet's business is not to find new emotions, but to use ordinary ones
- Emotions in poetry are impersonal and require the poet to surrender themselves wholly to the work
Rupert Brooke's Life and Poetry
- Was an officer in the Royal Naval Division
- Wrote patriotic pastoral poems, known as the "war sonnets", in 1914
- Died of dysentery on a troop-ship destined for Gallipoli
- Buried on the island of Skyros
Explore the literary influences and styles of T.S. Eliot, a renowned poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. His poetry is known for its intertextual references and echoes of past poets and philosophers.
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