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roberto_balogna's review against another edition
5.0
Sweet Thames, run softly till I end my song,
Sweet Thames, run softly, for I speak not loud or long.
But at my back in a cold blast I hear
The rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear.
The greatest poem ever written, and the greatest density of genius ever penned in the English language. There is no better half hour than the one spent, time and time again, reading The Waste Land and uncovering a novel allusion.
The only work that surpasses The Waste Land on the front of being distillate wisdom is The Sermon on the Mount, which is almost directly oppositional in tone and worldview. In maintaining the equilibrium of life, one may need only read The Sermon on the Mount for buoyancy in times of great hardship and The Waste Land for perspective in times of great happiness.
Sweet Thames, run softly, for I speak not loud or long.
But at my back in a cold blast I hear
The rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear.
The greatest poem ever written, and the greatest density of genius ever penned in the English language. There is no better half hour than the one spent, time and time again, reading The Waste Land and uncovering a novel allusion.
The only work that surpasses The Waste Land on the front of being distillate wisdom is The Sermon on the Mount, which is almost directly oppositional in tone and worldview. In maintaining the equilibrium of life, one may need only read The Sermon on the Mount for buoyancy in times of great hardship and The Waste Land for perspective in times of great happiness.
baileysgotbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
forgottensecret's review against another edition
4.0
'Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells'
'The Waste Land' by T.S. Eliot is one of the most important poems of the 20th century. Edited by Ezra Pound, it was published in 1922, 7 years after 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' and is a foundational text in modernist poetry. There are allusions to Dante, Shakespeare and even the Upanishads. It is split into five sections, where each explore different themes.
Reading a poem like 'The Waste Land' as a novice, is like a starker version of the difference between a concert pianist hearing a Schumann piece and an untrained spectator. They are both ostensibly hearing the same piece of music, but the concert pianist's listening is imbued with a sophisticated degree of understanding and interpretation of the piece's underlying structure. A spectator enjoys it still, but on an unavoidably superficial level. This was how I experienced 'The Waste Land.' I know that in a poetry class, under the guidance of a teacher, it would become more meaningful and I would enjoy it a lot more. But without that hand-holding, I can only glaze its surface.
With the above in mind, I much preferred 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.' I liked reading it aloud, and being amazed by Eliot's interminable rhyming. I could almost imagine Lin Manuel Miranda rapping it in 'Hamilton.' I am glad that I read Eliot (who was mentioned in Heather Clark's excellent biography 'Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath'), but it made me realise that at this stage, I prefer poetry which is concentrated visually and is demarcated by original language. There was allusion and rhyme in Eliot, but I was unsure how one stanza led to the next. I can admire that, but still reserve enjoyment for more accessible poetry.
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells'
'The Waste Land' by T.S. Eliot is one of the most important poems of the 20th century. Edited by Ezra Pound, it was published in 1922, 7 years after 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' and is a foundational text in modernist poetry. There are allusions to Dante, Shakespeare and even the Upanishads. It is split into five sections, where each explore different themes.
Reading a poem like 'The Waste Land' as a novice, is like a starker version of the difference between a concert pianist hearing a Schumann piece and an untrained spectator. They are both ostensibly hearing the same piece of music, but the concert pianist's listening is imbued with a sophisticated degree of understanding and interpretation of the piece's underlying structure. A spectator enjoys it still, but on an unavoidably superficial level. This was how I experienced 'The Waste Land.' I know that in a poetry class, under the guidance of a teacher, it would become more meaningful and I would enjoy it a lot more. But without that hand-holding, I can only glaze its surface.
With the above in mind, I much preferred 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.' I liked reading it aloud, and being amazed by Eliot's interminable rhyming. I could almost imagine Lin Manuel Miranda rapping it in 'Hamilton.' I am glad that I read Eliot (who was mentioned in Heather Clark's excellent biography 'Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath'), but it made me realise that at this stage, I prefer poetry which is concentrated visually and is demarcated by original language. There was allusion and rhyme in Eliot, but I was unsure how one stanza led to the next. I can admire that, but still reserve enjoyment for more accessible poetry.
irishdrew83's review against another edition
2.0
When the conversation turns to poets of the twentieth century, one name always included is T.S. Eliot. The poet is famous to new audiences from his appearance in Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row,” and the concept and poems which became the hit Broadway musical Cats. Like many of his peers, Eliot’s poetry makes up many anthologies and collections. The one I’ll review today, originally published in 1922 is The Waste Land and Other Poems. There’s plenty of academic analysis depending upon the edition read, but all of that is meaningless. It’s a poetry collection, so let’s get to the poems. As I read each poem, I made a few brief notes as to my initial thoughts...
To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/the-waste-land-and-other-poems-1922-review/
To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/the-waste-land-and-other-poems-1922-review/
aninnocuousbunny's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely not my thing, but I was doing a challenge that included reading something originally published in the 20s.