In “East Coker” Eliot’s biography, his prayer life, and poetic technique interact in an especially powerful way. A small amount of effort to understand these three elements should, however, bring some illumination. Nevertheless, some readers still find the poems opaque. The abstruse and abstract has become clear and direct. The voice is mature and strong, the sometimes bizarre and ephemeral style serves a humbler purpose and theme. These final poems also display the ultimate mastery of Eliot’s poetic technique. The person we discover beneath the world famous Nobel prize winning poet is a contemplative-a man of prayer who is deeply rooted in the mystical traditions of Christianity. The artifice, alter egos, and alternative voices have evaporated and we are at last in touch with the poet’s true voice. In the introduction to this five part series I proposed that there were three elements of Eliot’s poetry that were necessary to best understand Four Quartets: his biography, his spirituality, and his poetic technique.Įliot’s late masterpiece relies more explicitly on personal references than his earlier work. The poem expands his meditation into a wider consideration of time and eternity, destiny and desire. Eliot’s “East Coker” relies more explicitly on personal references than his earlier work.
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