Nissim Ezekiel was a Mumbai based Indian Jewish poet, playwright, actor and critic. He is one of the most distinguished contemporary Indian poets in English. His best known books include Time to Change, The Discovery of India, The Unfinished Man, Hymns in Darkness and Later Day Psalms. He received the SahityaContinue Reading
General Information Historical and Literary Context Structure The poem is divided into five sections: Section Summaries & Analysis 1. The Burial of the Dead 2. A Game of Chess 3. The Fire Sermon 4. Death by Water 5. What the Thunder Said Major Themes Key Symbols Style and Techniques FamousContinue Reading
There is almost a critical consensus that T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land exhibits the sordid reality of the crisis of western civilization in the aftermath of World War I (1914-1918), which was the most destructive war in human history to that point. Many people saw the poem as anContinue Reading
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is an extra-ordinary dramatic monologue by T S Eliot, a pioneer of a new literary trend of early twentieth century. In the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” through the character of “J. Alfred Prufrock”, a modern man, the poet portraysContinue Reading
Modern poetry is poetry of revolt against tradition in terms of diction, versification and subject matter. This is to be seen both in the form and content of poetry. Increasingly the poet turns away from the decadent romantic tradition; a tradition which still persisted in Georgian poetry. The squalor andContinue Reading
Like many modernist writers, Eliot wanted his poetry to express the fragile psychological state of humanity in the twentieth century. The passing away of Romantic and Victorian ideals, and the trauma of World War I challenged cultural notions of masculine identity, causing artists to question the romantic literary ideal ofContinue Reading
Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888–1965), better known as T. S. Eliot, was one of the most influential poets, critics, and dramatists of the 20th century. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Eliot eventually became a British citizen in 1927, a reflection of his deep intellectual and cultural ties to England. His workContinue Reading
Confessional poetry or “Confessionalism” is a style of poetry that emerged in the United States during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It is mirrored on the poet’s own self i.e. it is deeply personal in content; and deals with transgressional subject focusing on extreme moments of individual experience, theContinue Reading
Although the twentieth-century drama is the product of the individual writer’s ideas and experience, we often find some general features in common. Firstly, there was drama of social and political criticism. Secondly, there was an experiment with the language of drama, particularly when it is used for a witty orContinue Reading
The “angry young men” were a group of mostly working and middle class British playwrights and novelists who became prominent in the 1950s. The group’s leading members included John Osborne and Kingsley Amis. The phrase was originally coined by the Royal Court Theatre’s press officer to promote John Osborne’s 1956Continue Reading
