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Summary: Civilization did not end with Tom Eliot
Review: At one time Eliot stood astride our poetic culture like a colossus . He was the giant and god of twentieth English Literature, the master critic who defined the Tradition and Individual Talent. The 'Wasteland ' was taken to be something like a definitive statement about the whole cultural tradition. The dried- up and dead world , the post First- world War world was the end of what the Tradition gave. And the Tradition brought back in allusions and references , treated ironically was defined and put in its place by the young expatriate bank- clerk whose Pound patron called him the better poet.
Eliot was the writer of many great beautiful poetic lines . And the ' fragments he shored against his ruins were made here into a modern masterpiece. Unfortunately that masterpiece is morally marred by his Anti- Semitism, and of course by the somewhat shallow reading of History which informs the work as a whole . Yet the work did for many define the time , even when Eliot transcended himself and made the high Anglican culture his home, writing himself back in with "Four Quartets"
The allusion, the philosophical and abstract language combined with the precise musical poetry certainly stand in his favor and say that he no doubt is a poet to be reckoned with.
Even those of us old enough to know in our bones long lines of his cannot however forget his Beideker and Blustein his own hatred and misperception, preliminary to the Nazi world to come.
There are some sins even poetic greatness does not forgive.
Rating: 
Summary: The Waste Land in this edition
Review: Do I really need to say how important Eliot is? Simply put, this is the dividing line. Poetry has never been the same since. Beyond that, the Norton Critical edition does an excellent job assisting us by providing the reader with many of the sources this excellent poem was based on, as well as many responses to this poem in one neat and nifty book! Plus the poem is thrown in just for kicks. Buy the book! Love the book!
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Summary: the greatest poem of the 20th century
Review: eliot is the greatest poet of the 20th century. His work has done more to usher in the myriad of styles that have come after his than any other writer to date. he is Modern poetry and the wasteland is the benchmark upon which all others should be judged. his blending of style and concept are stunning- his words and word choice amazing- that one man could craft such greatness and still go on to write more great works is simply amazing. this poem requires work- don't know about a guide but at least dedication to intelect and insight. as pound said nothing good comes easily and this poems is the best and should be worked at and understood because with understanding and appreciation of this great work comes an insight into the minds and mindset of many of the 20th centuries great writers and thinkers.
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Summary: Great Poem, Great Edition
Review: It truly saddens me to see someone flaunt their idiocy like the previous reviewer ranting about how writers cannot write about social ills; meanwhile, second rate philosophers turned literary Critics can whenever possible. Simply stated, the poem is one the true benchmarks for twentieth century literature. It is rather difficult in that it is highly allusive, some allusions fall on the rather obscure side (Middleton, Weston) but mostly they are rather well known (Augustine, Dante, the Bible, Baudelaire, Wagner). The experience will prove to be as didactic as well as expressive due to all these allusions in the text. As far as the poem itself goes, it has a definite effect on you when you read it. I remember the first time I read the lines, "I think we are in rats' alley where the dead men lost their bones," and although I couldn't really understand what was going on just yet in the poem, that line as well as many other lines and images, had an affect on me. On the whole the emotional tone of the poem (not to do it injustice and say what it is about) is the spiritual alienation and degradation everyone felt after WWI. It's a quest of sorts, taken on by a persona of Eliot to find meaning amidst "the stony rubbish" that is the world. It sets the philosophy of Buddha and Augustine side by side as it does with the Rg Veda and the Bible in a collage of different voices and arresting images. A good guide though is imperative for undertaking this task and this edition is, to my knowledge, the best one out there. It gives many of the primary texts alluded to by Eliot in this poem as well as serving as a good introduction to the mountains of criticism that this poem has birthed. All in all, the book is a great buy for those who are interested in gaining a true appreciation and understanding of this poem and for twentieth century poetry which it influenced so much.
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Summary: but for you, just one
Review: Let's be honest here. You have spent most of your life reading Grisham and Crichton and to think that you will be able to penetrate a single line of this, the most wonderfully difficult poem in the English language, is pure folly. My advice is to press the back button on your personal computer screens and preorder the new Harry Potter. Please leave the serious reading to those of us able to do it. Thank you, and good day.
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Summary: Like a map for finding the Grail . . . .
Review: Literature scholars universally recognize Eliot's "Waste Land" as one of the most influential poems of the 20th century. The poem draws on a wealth of images, everything from classics of Western literature to Tarot cards, from anthropology to Eastern sacred texts. The title refers to the barren land of the Fisher King in Arthurian legend; both the king and the land eventually find redemption through the Holy Grail. Through a masterful use of language and symbols, Eliot brilliantly portrays the problem of meaning in the modern world --- and the way to deeper meaning! Unfortunately, many of Eliot's references are arcane, and not easy for the lay reader to pursue. For example, few modern readers happen to have a copy of Webster's play "White Devil" or excerpts from Shackleton's account of the Antarctic expedition readily available on their shelves. Hence, the virtue of this particular edition: in addition to Eliot's original poem and original notes, this book includes the relevant passages from every single work Eliot quotes in the "Wasteland", all translated into English. For the first time I have seen in print, this book allows the reader to understand this magnificent poem in light of the full scope of its allusions. A triumphant achievement!
Rating:
Summary: Like a map for finding the Grail . . . .
Review: Literature scholars universally recognize Eliot's "Waste Land" as one of the most influential poems of the 20th century. The poem draws on a wealth of images, everything from classics of Western literature to Tarot cards, from anthropology to Eastern sacred texts. The title refers to the barren land of the Fisher King in Arthurian legend; both the king and the land eventually find redemption through the Holy Grail. Through a masterful use of language and symbols, Eliot brilliantly portrays the problem of meaning in the modern world --- and the way to deeper meaning! Unfortunately, many of Eliot's references are arcane, and not easy for the lay reader to pursue. For example, few modern readers happen to have a copy of Webster's play "White Devil" or excerpts from Shackleton's account of the Antarctic expedition readily available on their shelves. Hence, the virtue of this particular edition: in addition to Eliot's original poem and original notes, this book includes the relevant passages from every single work Eliot quotes in the "Wasteland", all translated into English. For the first time I have seen in print, this book allows the reader to understand this magnificent poem in light of the full scope of its allusions. A triumphant achievement!
Rating:
Summary: Where is the present?
Review: One of T.S. Eliot's bestknown poems. What I am feeling is more an impression than a meaning. The world is old, like coming to its end, decaying. The poet sees and only sees. It is soundless and yet it is music. He brings together all sorts of recollections, experiences and small vignettes of the world, and a whole array of references to all kinds of cultures to show how the past is foregone and the future is not there. There remains only the thunder that speaks unaudible sounds of farewell on a road we cannot even see, nor follow as for that.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
Rating:
Summary: The Waste Land in this edition
Review: Simply put, THE WASTE LAND is one of the strangest, most complicated, and interesting poems ever written. Try reading an unannotated version of the poem and you will see why even TS Eliot scholars need a little help with some of the images and literary references Eliot uses. This NORTON CRITICAL EDITION of THE WASTE LAND is an essential book for any Eliot fan, new or old. It provides you with practically every single piece of literature, history, and music that inspired Eliot to write his manifesto of the Lost Generation. If you have any questions concerning THE WASTE LAND, this is the book you need...this is the book you want. Buy it and realize how well-read you are not.
Rating:
Summary: What it takes to write the greatest poem of the 20th century
Review: Simply put, THE WASTE LAND is one of the strangest, most complicated, and interesting poems ever written. Try reading an unannotated version of the poem and you will see why even TS Eliot scholars need a little help with some of the images and literary references Eliot uses. This NORTON CRITICAL EDITION of THE WASTE LAND is an essential book for any Eliot fan, new or old. It provides you with practically every single piece of literature, history, and music that inspired Eliot to write his manifesto of the Lost Generation. If you have any questions concerning THE WASTE LAND, this is the book you need...this is the book you want. Buy it and realize how well-read you are not.
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