Synopses & Reviews
To understand Eliot's weighty contribution to the pantheon of modernism, one must take account of his dramatic career. Where the Words Are Valid brings to modernist scholars' serious attention a large body of work that has often been glibly patronized and relegated to near-obscurity. Eliot's plays embody more significant connections than disruptions with the rest of his work, and are integrally related to the other elements of his oeuvre. Further, they contain a richly suggestive autobiographical vein that illuminates the persona and psyche of Eliot the playwright and, as well, throwbacks to Eliot as a younger poet and critic.
Synopsis
Treats Eliot's seven plays as central to the understanding of the rest of his work, and points out numerous literary and personal sources of Eliot's modernist sensibility.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [199]-203) and index.
About the Author
RANDY MALAMUD is Assistant Professor of English at Georgia State University, where he teaches Modern Literature.
Table of Contents
Sweeney Agonistes: "I Gotta Use Words"
The Rock: "There Is No Life That Is Not in Community"
Murder in the Cathedral: "Our Eyes Are Compelled to Witness"
The Family Reunion: "The Particular Has No Language"
The Cocktail Party: "Where the Words Are Valid"
The Confidential Clerk: "Mind Control Is a Different Matter"
The Elder Statesman: "The Words Mean What They Say"
Bibliography
Index