Ezra Pound belatedly conceded that T.S.Eliot "was the true Dantescan voice" of the modern world. This is the first study to deal with this assertion and the relationship between the two poets. It attempts to show how Dante's total vision impinges on Eliot's craft and thought. Eliot's indebtedness to his Italian master, whose poetry he deemed "as the most persistent and deepest influence" upon his own verse, manifests itself in a variety of literary strategies, including imitation, parody, citation and allusion. At the same time Eliot's debt transcends the literary to embrace Dante's total vision, or his philosophy, theology and politics. Various aspects of Eliot's recourse to Dante's craft and thought may appear in a new light - his recurring fascination with Ulysses in "Inferno XXVI" and especially with Arnaut Daniel in "Purgatorio XXVI"; the exodus motif as it informs "The Waste Land", "The Hollow Men" and "Ash Wednesday"; the metaphor of Dante's book of memory as it applies to Eliot's work; the notion of order in its ethical, aesthetic and political dimensions. Finally, light is shed on some of the reasons why Eliot's Dante ultimately differs radically from that of the other mod

T. S. Eliot was raised in the Unitarian faith of his family in St. Louis but drifted away from their beliefs while studying philosophy, mysticism, and anthropology at Harvard. During a year in Paris (1910-1911), he became involved with a group of Catholic writers there and subsequently went through a gradual conversion to Catholic Christianity. He surprised his brother during a visit to Rome in 1926, when he fell to his knees at St. Peter's, and he surprised his Bloomsbury friends a year later when he was received into the Church of England, becoming an adherent of the traditionalist Anglo-Catholic wing of that church. Many studies of Eliot's writings have mentioned his religious beliefs, but most have failed to give the topic due weight and many have misunderstood or misrepresented his faith. More recently, however, some scholars have begun exploring this dimension of Eliot's though more carefully and fully. The critics whose essays are collected here are among that group. Here the reader will find Eliot's Anglo-Catholicism accurately defined and thoughtfully considered. Several essays illuminate the all-important influence of the French Catholic writers he came to know in Paris. Prominent among them were those who wrote for or were otherwise associated with the Nouvelle Revue Francaise, including Andre Gide, Paul Claudel, and Charles-Louis Philippe. Also active in Paris at that time was the notorious Charles Maurras, whose influence on Eliot has been exaggerated by those who wished to discredit Eliot's traditionalist views. A more measured assessment of Maurras's influence has been needed and is found in several essays here. A wiser French Catholic writer, Jacques Maritain, has been largely ignored by Eliot scholars, but his influence is now given due consideration. Contributors to the volume take account of Eliot's intellectual relationship with such figures as John Henry Newman, Charles Williams, and the expert on church architecture, W. R. Lethaby. Eliot's engagement with other contemporaries who held a variety of Christian beliefs--including George Santayana, Paul Elmer More, C. S. Lewis, and David Jones--is also clarified. The keynote of Eliot's cultural and political writings is his belief that religion and culture are integrally related. Several writers in this volume examine his ideas on this subject, placing them in the context of Maritain's ideas, as well as those of the Catholic historian Christopher Dawson. The book as a whole presents the subject of Eliot's religious beliefs in rich detail, from a number of different perspectives, giving readers the opportunity to see the topic in its complexity and fullness.

T. S. Eliot was raised in the Unitarian faith of his family in St. Louis but drifted away from their beliefs while studying philosophy, mysticism, and anthropology at Harvard. During a year in Paris, he became involved with a group of Catholic writers and subsequently went through a gradual conversion to Catholic Christianity. Many studies of Eliot's writings have mentioned his religious beliefs, but most have failed to give the topic due weight, and many have misunderstood or misrepresented his faith. More recently, scholars have begun exploring this dimension of Eliot's thought more carefully and fully. In this book readers will find Eliot's Anglo-Catholicism accurately defined and thoughtfully considered. Essays illuminate the all-important influence of the French Catholic writers he came to know in Paris. Prominent among them were those who wrote for or were otherwise associated with the Nouvelle Revue Francaise, including Andre Gide, Paul Claudel, and Charles-Louis Philippe. Also active in Paris at that time was the notorious Charles Maurras, whose influence on Eliot has been exaggerated by those who wished to discredit Eliot's traditionalist views. A more measured assessment of Maurras's influence has been needed and is found in several essays here. A wiser French Catholic writer, Jacques Maritain, has been largely ignored by Eliot scholars, but his influence is now given due consideration. The keynote of Eliot's cultural and political writings is his belief that religion and culture are integrally related. Several contributors examine his ideas on this subject, placing them in the context of Maritain's ideas, as well as those of the Catholic historian Christopher Dawson. Contributors take account of Eliot's intellectual relationship with such figures as John Henry Newman, Charles Williams, and the expert on church architecture, W. R. Lethaby. Eliot's engagement with other contemporaries who held a variety of Christian beliefs including George Santayana, Paul Elmer More, C. S. Lewis, and David Jones is also explored. This collection presents the subject of Eliot's religious beliefs in rich detail, from a number of different perspectives, giving readers the opportunity to see the topic in its complexity and fullness."

The object of this study, first published in 1980, is to dispel the view that James Joyce had no political views. Although not a political novelist like D. H. Lawrence or Joseph Conrad, political issues and discussions are central to Joyce's major novels. This title links that political content with Joyce's own views, and examines the evolution of those views and attitudes. A number of unusual and fascinating sources for Joyce's thought are uncovered. Joyce's Politics is thus a thorough review of a neglected aspect of Joyce and his writings, and will be of interest to students of literature.

The object of this study, first published in 1980, is to dispel the view that James Joyce had no political views. Although not a political novelist like D. H. Lawrence or Joseph Conrad, political issues and discussions are central to Joyce's major novels. This title links that political content with Joyce's own views, and examines the evolution of those views and attitudes. A number of unusual and fascinating sources for Joyce's thought are uncovered. Joyce's Politics is thus a thorough review of a neglected aspect of Joyce and his writings, and will be of interest to students of literature.

Ezra Pound belatedly conceded that T.S.Eliot "was the true Dantescan voice" of the modern world. With this assertion in mind, this study examines the relationship between the two poets. It attempts to show how Dante's total vision impinges on Eliot's craft and thought.