A Guide to the Selected Poems of T. S. Eliot [Paperback]

B.C. Southam (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0156002612 | ISBN-13: 978-0156002615 | Publication Date: August 15, 1996 | Edition: 6

A unique guide designed to help the readers of Eliot’s personally chosen collection, Selected Poems. Specific information about the poems and their development is included, as is a chronology of the poet’s life and work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

B. C. Southam has written widely on T. S. Eliot, jane Austen, and Lord Tennyson. Formerly an instructor at Oxford and London Universities, he is publisher of the Athlone Press in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 6 edition (August 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156002612
• ISBN-13: 978-0156002615
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #529,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the curious literature student, January 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Guide to the Selected Poems of T. S. Eliot (Paperback)

Basically a book explaining the best known Eliot poems line by line, this is despite the premise no "York Notes" book. It demands attention and dedication of the student, but it is worth the amount of time one puts into it. It aims at the undergraduate/graduate student (I could be wrong - having English as your second language inhibits you somewhat - so perhaps High School students in English-speaking countries could find it useful also) who is curious as to what Eliot's poetry "means" and of what material it is comprised...

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Imperfect, but a great help for beginners to Eliot, September 27, 2003

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide to the Selected Poems of T. S. Eliot (Paperback)

In A GUIDE TO THE SELECTED POEMS OF T.S. ELIOT the critic B.C. Southam has prepared an ideal guide for students new to T.S. Eliot's poetry. Southam is adamant about seeking to help students who have already been attracted by Eliot's work to form their own appreciation and understanding.

Though I've been a fan of T.S. Eliot for many years, I learned quite a bit from Southam's notes. All four "Ariel Poems" - which are deceptively simple and difficult for students to penetrate - are covered in depth. The often-neglected "Chorus From The Rock" finally gets substantial attention here.

My largest complaint about the work is that it is indeed a guide only to the material which appears in Faber & Faber's SELECTED POEMS. As a result, the extremely tricky and allusive FOUR QUARTETS is not covered (too late), nor is Eliot's early turn at drama "Sweeney Agonistes" (not strictly poetry).

Another problem is that not all of the book has been updated after great discoveries in Eliot studies - such as Valerie Eliot's edition of the manuscript of "The Waste Land". Southam makes some assertions which are clearly informed from the latest evidence, but other material looks as if it has remained unchanged since the book's first edition.

In spite of its flaws, I think Southam's work is a great resource for school and university students who find Eliot sublime but opaque. I'd recommend it to any beginning reader of that great poet's work.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for serious readers, March 6, 2000

By 

Jason Hayashi - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to the Selected Poems of T. S. Eliot (Paperback)

First of all, this is a very difficult and laborious book to read. But it will be a very fulfilling experience for those who are seriously interested in poetry. Reading this book certainly shows us the range of allusions that T. S. Eliot used in his compositions. The variety of texts that T. S. Eliot mentions in "The Wasteland" reveals us the depth of spiritual struggle that the author has went through in order to write the poem. There are references to the Bible, eastern philosophy, literature from the antiquity to the present. There are also reference to some earlier writings by the author. Reading the commentary has shown me the richness to T. S. Eliot's writings that are otherwise difficult to see. With the careful analysis of "The Waste Land, one sees that it is not simply about a struggle of modern life, but it encompasses wide range of philosophy and literature that are involved in the spiritual struggle one must face in this modern world.