A Guide to the Selected Poems of T.S. Eliot: Sixth Edition

by B.C. Southam

Book Overview

A unique guide designed to help the readers of Eliot's personally chosen collection, Selected Poems. Specific information about the poems and their development is included, as is a chronology of the poet's life and work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156002612
• ISBN13: 9780156002615
• Release Date: August 1996
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Imperfect, but a great help for beginners to Eliot

In A GUIDE TO THE SELECTED POEMS OF T.S. ELIOT the critic B.C. Southam has prepared an ideal guide for students new to T.S. Eliot's poetry. Southam is adamant about seeking to help students who have already been attracted by Eliot's work to form their own appreciation and understanding. Though I've been a fan of T.S. Eliot for many years, I learned quite a bit from Southam's notes. All four "Ariel Poems" - which are deceptively simple and difficult for students to penetrate - are covered in depth. The often-neglected "Chorus From The Rock" finally gets substantial attention here.My largest complaint about the work is that it is indeed a guide only to the material which appears in Faber & Faber's SELECTED POEMS. As a result, the extremely tricky and allusive FOUR QUARTETS is not covered (too late), nor is Eliot's early turn at drama "Sweeney Agonistes" (not strictly poetry).Another problem is that not all of the book has been updated after great discoveries in Eliot studies - such as Valerie Eliot's edition of the manuscript of "The Waste Land". Southam makes some assertions which are clearly informed from the latest evidence, but other material looks as if it has remained unchanged since the book's first edition.In spite of its flaws, I think Southam's work is a great resource for school and university students who find Eliot sublime but opaque. I'd recommend it to any beginning reader of that great poet's work.

An in-depth guide that is easy to read...

I am a college student who happens to be interested in the Modernist period of literature. I really enjoy T.S. Eliot's poetry, but like many others, agree that reading it can be a tedious and laborious project to undertake. This is what makes it wonderful though, isn't it? Southam's book really gives a reader new perspectives and may even validate thoughts that one may have about "The Waste Land" and other poetry written by Eliot. The way that Southam uses language to give insight into the poetry is really easy to understand and a pleasure to read whether you are interested for academics or pleasure.

Aid to Eliot Comprehension

I am a student, and had to present an explication of T.S. Eliot's _The Waste Land_. This work of Eliot's is entrenched in laborious detail that takes the reader from the text to the footnotes again and again. It becomes quite confusing and a bit irritating at times. This book, _The Selected Poems of T.S. Eliot_, was extremely helpful in that it construes Eliot's use of footnotes, and the allusions made within the work. It helps to clarify the questions lingering in the reader's mind, and allows for a more critical reading of the poem. I found it to be an insightful aid to my presentation, and would recommend it to anyone who desires an indepth study on any of Eliot's work.

Recommended for serious readers

First of all, this is a very difficult and laborious book to read. But it will be a very fulfilling experience for those who are seriously interested in poetry. Reading this book certainly shows us the range of allusions that T. S. Eliot used in his compositions. The variety of texts that T. S. Eliot mentions in "The Wasteland" reveals us the depth of spiritual struggle that the author has went through in order to write the poem. There are references to the Bible, eastern philosophy, literature from the antiquity to the present. There are also reference to some earlier writings by the author. Reading the commentary has shown me the richness to T. S. Eliot's writings that are otherwise difficult to see. With the careful analysis of "The Waste Land, one sees that it is not simply about a struggle of modern life, but it encompasses wide range of philosophy and literature that are involved in the spiritual struggle one must face in this modern world.

Perfect for the curious literature student

Basically a book explaining the best known Eliot poems line by line, this is despite the premise no "York Notes" book. It demands attention and dedication of the student, but it is worth the amount of time one puts into it. It aims at the undergraduate/graduate student (I could be wrong - having English as your second language inhibits you somewhat - so perhaps High School students in English-speaking countries could find it useful also) who is curious as to what Eliot's poetry "means" and of what material it is comprised...