"The Hollow Men" at 100
15 days ago
- #Modern Poetry
- #Literary Criticism
- #T.S. Eliot
- T.S. Eliot's 'The Hollow Men' was first published in his collection 'Poems: 1909-1925' in 1925, though sections appeared earlier in various literary magazines.
- The poem is structured like a musical suite, with motifs rather than a tight narrative, reflecting Eliot's deep connection to music, including ragtime and vaudeville.
- Eliot's major works, including 'The Waste Land' and 'Four Quartets,' are influenced by musical structures, with 'Four Quartets' inspired by Beethoven's late string quartets.
- Critics debate the ending of 'The Hollow Men,' with some seeing a positive religious conversion and others interpreting it as a continuation of the hollow men's sense of failure.
- The poem has influenced pop culture, including the Pet Shop Boys' song 'West End Girls,' and has been the subject of various artistic interpretations, such as Robert Motherwell's paintings.
- Eliot's work is characterized by an obsession with reality and a rejection of 'ersatz' culture, religion, and humanity, as noted by critic Roger Kimball.