Selected Poems of T.S. Eliot - Poems 1920

[Ally]

Please use this thread to discuss the following poems:

Gerontion
Burbank with a Baedeker: Bleistein with a Cigar
Sweeny Erect
A Cooking Egg
The Hippopotamus
Whispers of Immortality
Mr. Eliot's Sunday Morning Service
Sweeney Among the Nightingales

which appear in the Poems 1920 section of

Selected Poems of T.S. Eliot by T.S. Eliot

[Ally]

The poems in this section seem to be a little bit more accessible as far as Eliot goes - what do others think? - I loved the Hippopotamus! - it is interesting though how Eliot's Catholicism is written all over his poetry in an all consuming way.

Ally

[Amalie]

Ok, I've got 'The Hippopotamus' I'll come back once I read it.

[Amalie]

I was bit shocked at first after understanding the content.

It seems to me, a satirical view of the institutionalized church and its stereotyped utterances. Mankind is weak and frail whereas the church claims to be strong and timeless. When man gathers possessions he is sinful but when the church does it, it is honorable. The capital letters on True Church suggest to me that he saw it as an untrue church wrapped in the miasmal mist of all its deceptions and false claims through the ages.

Aslo I think that the hippo represents Eliot himself as he views himself as strong in others eyes, but he is admitting that he is weak. Weak even in comparison to the church that beats upon him its truths.

I think it's also important to note that Eliot was never an atheist, but I do wonder to which church he is referring to, because I do know he changed his religion, right?

[Ally]

I've been looking into Eliot's religion - it seems his family were Unitarian and he was brought up in that faith. When he became a British citizen he converted to the Church of England (...and not Catholicism as I'd originally thought).

Ally

[Amalie]

I think, especially concerning Eliot, if we want to seriously analyze a work, we have to fully understand both the allusions, and the author. And that includes understanding his beliefs and purposes. It seems for Eliot(and probably for his peers as well) the ideas of modernistic thought were fascinating. Also since Eliot was not irreverently relgious, but had sincere faith.

Gerontion seems like a poem about the crisis and peace embedded in faith, and while it deals with many concepts, it returns to being "thoughts of a dry brain in a dry season". I don't know, that's how I feel but some of my friends told me this addresses the theme sexuality more than religious crisis.

Ally, thanks for having T.S. Eliot's work as a group read. :) It's hard to find enough motivation to this poet because, for me, although his poems are really good, they are difficult to read.

[Ally]

Amalie wrote: "Ally, thanks for having T.S. Eliot's work as a group read. :) It's hard to find enough motivation to this poet because, for me, although his poems are really good, they are difficult to read. ..."

You're right - Eliot is an aquired taste! - I confess that although I love poetry I don't often know that much about it in an intellectual sense - its discussions like the ones we're having as part of our group reads that opens my mind to new ways of looking at the poems and the poet. - I love hearing all the different interpretations!

I hope that members aren't put off commenting in these threads because of a fear of not getting it right - I really feel that with poetry there is no right and wrong - all opinions and interpretations are illuminating even if they don't follow the critics (...and part of the fun of peotry is disagreeing with the critics anyway don't you think?!)

Ally

[Amalie]

Yes, it is. I think analyzing poetry is pretty much like criticizing art, it's subjective, as long as we don't let our imagination to get involve with our analyzing, I think anything is accurate and it is great to find different ideas and even funny how all those different analyzing will finally lead to a similar theme or one theme.