virginialikethewoolf's review against another edition
Not gonna lie, I'm very new to poetry, so reading this required a lot of sifting through SparkNotes, Wikipedia, and the random ideas of people on the internet to understand - but boy, it was worth it!
jackrowland's review against another edition
I feel like I'm going to have to read this about 100 more times before I understand it in a level of depth I'm comfortable with, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless.
nickjonesreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I’m only giving this three stars on my initial reading. It’s obvious to me that most of this went over my head, but there are some really interesting lines in here that bear pondering and study when I get some time. So three stars is for my enjoyment factor not how great this book is.
andredias164's review against another edition
4.0
“Humankind cannot bear very much reality.”
T S Eliot, in a six-year period, published a set of four poems: Burnt Norton (1936), East Coker (1940), The Dry Salvages (1941), Little Gidding (1942). These poems have 5 sections each.
This collection of connected poems addresses multiple thematics about Time and Humanity. Perceived and presented in an existential method, Eliot's poems present complex philosophical points; In a period of chaos and destruction (World War II), the author relies his poetry style on his Christian beliefs.
“Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take, towards the door we never opened, into the rose garden.”
According to the author, society is something that should be preserved. For that reason, personal introspection, meditation, faith, and the sense of divine are essential to prevent wars.
The first poem starts to deal with the beauty of nature, and with the constant idea of time. In the meantime, the second poem presents metaphysical ideas about life and death. In a later part of the set, thematics about Humanity and eternity are addressed in a metaphorical point of view. Furthermore, the last poem discusses whether humanity is able to choose salvation through the divine path or not.
“Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future contained in time past.”
Eliot depicts eternity as something beautiful and real. If one is stuck in time, it can be a huge struggle. According to him, Time is repeatable and life is cyclical.
Meanwhile, the theological aspects of the poems are somewhat questionable. It can be arguable that the Christian values defended by the author emphasize the author's message. On the other hand, the importance of this religious belief is not imposed, and it's presented as the way for salvation and personal faith. Therefore, this is probably the most arguable thematic on this set of poems.
This set of poems appeal to the reader's imagination. The title of the set, "Four Quartets", implies that there's some correlation about the four seasons of the year. If life is cyclical so it's the living earthly year. In contrast to the four seasons, the quartets propose a certain musicality within the poetic structure and the thematics linked to it. Each poem has five parts, just like the Beethoven's 9th symphony. Perhaps, the creative connection between those poems and music address Eliot's writing style, in a deep imaginative manner.
“Love is most nearly itself
When here and now cease to matter.”
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, remembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.”
Despite all the controversy regarding Eliot's religious beliefs, "Four Quartets" addresses transcendental and dogmatic issues; Complex, classy, sophisticated are mere words that define Eliot's poetic style, a writing style that brought an outstanding contribution to modern poetry.
Rating: 3,5/5 stars
Note: Poems read on a different edition
T S Eliot, in a six-year period, published a set of four poems: Burnt Norton (1936), East Coker (1940), The Dry Salvages (1941), Little Gidding (1942). These poems have 5 sections each.
This collection of connected poems addresses multiple thematics about Time and Humanity. Perceived and presented in an existential method, Eliot's poems present complex philosophical points; In a period of chaos and destruction (World War II), the author relies his poetry style on his Christian beliefs.
“Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take, towards the door we never opened, into the rose garden.”
According to the author, society is something that should be preserved. For that reason, personal introspection, meditation, faith, and the sense of divine are essential to prevent wars.
The first poem starts to deal with the beauty of nature, and with the constant idea of time. In the meantime, the second poem presents metaphysical ideas about life and death. In a later part of the set, thematics about Humanity and eternity are addressed in a metaphorical point of view. Furthermore, the last poem discusses whether humanity is able to choose salvation through the divine path or not.
“Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future contained in time past.”
Eliot depicts eternity as something beautiful and real. If one is stuck in time, it can be a huge struggle. According to him, Time is repeatable and life is cyclical.
Meanwhile, the theological aspects of the poems are somewhat questionable. It can be arguable that the Christian values defended by the author emphasize the author's message. On the other hand, the importance of this religious belief is not imposed, and it's presented as the way for salvation and personal faith. Therefore, this is probably the most arguable thematic on this set of poems.
This set of poems appeal to the reader's imagination. The title of the set, "Four Quartets", implies that there's some correlation about the four seasons of the year. If life is cyclical so it's the living earthly year. In contrast to the four seasons, the quartets propose a certain musicality within the poetic structure and the thematics linked to it. Each poem has five parts, just like the Beethoven's 9th symphony. Perhaps, the creative connection between those poems and music address Eliot's writing style, in a deep imaginative manner.
“Love is most nearly itself
When here and now cease to matter.”
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, remembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.”
Despite all the controversy regarding Eliot's religious beliefs, "Four Quartets" addresses transcendental and dogmatic issues; Complex, classy, sophisticated are mere words that define Eliot's poetic style, a writing style that brought an outstanding contribution to modern poetry.
Rating: 3,5/5 stars
Note: Poems read on a different edition
lizbeth12's review against another edition
5.0
eliot is my favorite poet. i'm not usually a poetry kind of girl, but anytime i open one of his collections I find something that grabs me by the throat.
1librarianspath's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful four-part book of verse. One that requires time and thought to gain the most out of it. The poetry changes in form so some parts are ‘easier’ than others. I’m looking forward to spending more time with it.
molllllusk's review against another edition
5.0
“For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.”
alexcruse's review against another edition
4.0
my fave poet and one of my fave works by him.
utterly gorgeous.
utterly gorgeous.