Eliot‘s Classicism: A Study in Allusional Method and Design

Abstract

Authors’ comments about their own work are deservedly suspect. However, one exception to this generalisation is T. S. Eliot. Although his enigmatic language and sometimes unfortunate phrasing have often obscured his intentions, he attempted in numerous ways to direct readers to his aesthetic philosophy and purpose throughout his career. For example, when he said that he was a ‘classicist’, he was pointing to a major aspect of his work in both conception and content; when he praised James Joyce’s ‘mythical method’, he was indirectly speaking about his own classical strategies; and when he wrote about the necessity of borrowing from another author’s work, he was describing and justifying his own allusional system. Yet, although Eliot may indeed be trusted to lead readers toward an understanding of his purpose, the classical dimension of his poetry has been relatively ignored.¹ To rectify this critical oversight, this article will examine the extent and substance of Eliot’s classicism, how it relates to his own allusional and ‘mythical method’, and how this classical context adds new meaning to Eliot’s poems.