a confession
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” – T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
breaths of the dry kingdom
In the arid landscape of The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot weaves a tapestry of fragmented myth and symbol, inspired by his own spiritual malaise.
- The mythic fragments: From the Sibylline oracles to the Hindu epic, The Mahabharata, Eliot weaves together a diverse collection of mythological fragments that mirror his own sense of disillusionment and fragmentation.
- The dry kingdom: The term “dry kingdom” is used by Eliot to describe the spiritually barren landscape of post-World War I Europe, a place where traditional sources of meaning have been irrevocably shattered.
an echo of antiquity
By revisiting and reimagining the myths of ancient civilizations, Eliot seeks to reconnect with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose that has been lost in modernity.
“What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow / Out of this stony rubbish?” – T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
the silence of the desert
The Waste Land concludes with a vision of desolation and despair, yet it is also a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming darkness. Through its exploration of myth and symbol, Eliot’s masterpiece offers a profound meditation on the nature of existence in a world that has lost its way.