These lines are from Elliot's poem 'Burnt Norton' which is part of Four Quartets. I only know because I read it closely about 4 years ago for a PhD proposal that I couldn't take up because my daughter got ill. It's a great poem!
So what do these lines mean to you/or how do they have personal resonance?
I'm still thinking about my lines. There are so many.
Cheers,
Tristan
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I'm disappointed there are no lines!
I actually did my Master's thesis on T.S. Eliot. My textual analysis was largely restricted to his earlier stuff though, in particular "Gerontion". Would love to, at some point, expand it into a Doctoral Thesis.
Burnt Norton is a classic. I see a deep theological meditation in the opening lines, if those are the lines you meant. "If all time is eternally present/All time is irredeemable." I could go on for ages about the theological discussion around the nature of God's omnipotence and omniscience and how that can be reconciled with Man's freedom and choice. I think these are the big themes he's grappling with in the poem. But as much as he was knowledgeable about the various theological arguments around this point (and he was - my master's thesis was largely concerned with the influence of Christian theology on T.S. Eliot's thought and poetry), he makes this central theological query relevant on a personal level - dragging it out of dusty Thomistic textbooks to make something quite beautiful.
My favourite lines from that poem are undoubtedly "...shall we follow/ The deception of the thrush?..." I see a wondrously poignant reference to Hardy's the Darkling thrush there: "Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew/ And I was unaware."
And also "...human kind/ cannot bear very much reality."
I actually did my Master's thesis on T.S. Eliot. My textual analysis was largely restricted to his earlier stuff though, in particular "Gerontion". Would love to, at some point, expand it into a Doctoral Thesis.
Burnt Norton is a classic. I see a deep theological meditation in the opening lines, if those are the lines you meant. "If all time is eternally present/All time is irredeemable." I could go on for ages about the theological discussion around the nature of God's omnipotence and omniscience and how that can be reconciled with Man's freedom and choice. I think these are the big themes he's grappling with in the poem. But as much as he was knowledgeable about the various theological arguments around this point (and he was - my master's thesis was largely concerned with the influence of Christian theology on T.S. Eliot's thought and poetry), he makes this central theological query relevant on a personal level - dragging it out of dusty Thomistic textbooks to make something quite beautiful.
My favourite lines from that poem are undoubtedly "...shall we follow/ The deception of the thrush?..." I see a wondrously poignant reference to Hardy's the Darkling thrush there: "Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew/ And I was unaware."
And also "...human kind/ cannot bear very much reality."
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Ros
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Im a fan of the four quartets too, though i haven't delved into the theology.
There's no problem with people sharing their favourite lines!
If you came this way... is my fav section (cant copy it from this tablet).
Ros
There's no problem with people sharing their favourite lines!
If you came this way... is my fav section (cant copy it from this tablet).
Ros
Rosencrantz: What are you playing at? Guildenstern: Words. Words. They're all we have to go on.
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Antiphon - www.antiphon.org.uk
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Antiphon - www.antiphon.org.uk