In this Companion, an international team of leading T. S. Eliot scholars contribute studies of different facets of the writer’s work to build up a carefully co-ordinated and fully rounded introduction. Five chapters give a complete account of Eliot’s poems and plays from several distinct points of view. The major aspects and issues of his life and thought are assessed: his American origins and his becoming English; his position as a philosopher; his literary, social, and political criticism; and the evolution of his religious sense. Later chapters place his work in a number of historical perspectives; and the final chapter provides an expert review of the whole field of Eliot studies and is supplemented by a listing of the most significant publications. There is a useful chronological outline. Taken as a whole, the Companion comprises an essential handbook for students and other readers of Eliot.
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Book Description
An essential introduction and handbook for students and other readers of T. S. Eliot.
From the Back Cover
In this Companion, an international team of leading T.S. Eliot scholars contribute studies of different facets of the writer’s work to build up a carefully coordinated and fully rounded introduction. Five chapters give a complete account of Eliot’s poems and plays from several distinct points of view. The major aspects and issues of his life and thought are assessed: his American origins and his becoming English; his position as a philosopher; his literary, social and political criticism; and the evolution of his religious sense.
Drawing on the latest developments in scholarship and criticism, The New Cambridge Companion to T. S. Eliot opens up fresh avenues of appreciation and inquiry to a global twenty-first century readership. Emphasizing major works and critical issues, this collection of newly commissioned essays from leading international scholars provides seven full chapters reassessing Eliot’s poetry and drama; explores important contemporary critical issues that were previously untreated, such as the significance of gender and sexuality; and challenges received accounts of his at times controversial critical reception. Complete with a chronology of Eliot’s life and work and an up-to-date select bibliography, this authoritative and accessible introduction to Eliot’s complete oeuvre will be an essential resource for students.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘This volume replaces the 1994 Companion, since when much of Eliot’s prose, letters and uncollected poems have finally been published, accompanied by (the editor claims in his preface) a ‘seismic upheaval in Eliot scholarship and criticism’.’ David Geall, Huntington Library Quarterly
‘Having benefited from current biographical and theoretical advances in scholarship, The New Cambridge Companion to T. S. Eliot provides an authoritative and coherent overview of Eliot’s career as a poet, critic, and dramatist. The essays reassess and reinterpret Eliot’s whole oeuvre from fresh angles. Concentrating on fundamental and emerging problems in Eliot studies, this latest Cambridge Companion innovatively sparks inspiration on topics that were not covered in the previous Companion, such as gender and sexuality. Thus, the collection reflects recent shifts in focus and a changing framework for the now thriving field of Eliot studies.’ Chen Lin, Journal of Modern Literature
Book Description
Drawing on the latest scholarship and criticism, this new Companion provides an authoritative, accessible introduction to Eliot’s complete oeuvre.
About the Author
Jason Harding is Reader in the Department of English Studies at the University of Durham. He is the author or editor of five books, including T. S. Eliot in Context (Cambridge, 2011) and The Complete Prose of T. S. Eliot: The Critical Edition: Volume 4, English Lion, 1930–1933 (with Ronald Schuchard).
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