Ascetic Modernism in the Work of T. S. Eliot and Gustave Flaubert

Sep 18, 2026

Ascetic Modernism in the Work of T. S. Eliot and Gustave Flaubert examines the underexplored relationship between T. S. Eliot and Gustave Flaubert in modernist studies, arguing for a productive analogy in how each conceives of the ascetic saint as an emblematic figure for aesthetic practice. Focusing on La Tentation de Saint Antoine and The Waste Land, it traces structural kinship across quotation, saintly representation, dramatic staging, and landscape. The study develops ascetic interpretations of these texts as intertwined with artistic and religious inspiration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages249

Reading Time6 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Introduction

Visual and Verbal Quotation in Flaubert and Eliot

Figuring the Saint: Physical and Intellectual Representations of Asceticism

The Empty Stage: Landscape and the Dramatic in La Tentation de Saint Antoine and The Waste Land

The Ascetic Text of La Tentation de Saint Antoine and The Waste Land

‘Caught in the Circle of Desire’: The Vortex as Ascetic Metaphor

Conclusion

Notes

Works Cited

Index

ASCETIC MODERNISM IN THE WORK OFT. S. ELIOT AND GUSTAVE FLAUBERT ASCETIC MODERNISM IN THE WORK OFT. S. ELIOT AND GUSTAVE FLAUBERT by Henry Michael Gott PICKERING & CHATTO Published by Pickering & Chatto (Publishers) Limited 21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH 2252 Ridge Road, Brookfield, Vermont 05036-9704, USA [www.pickeringchatto.com](www.pickeringchatto.com) [All rights reserved.](All rights reserved.)[ ](All rights reserved.)No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher.© Pickering & Chatto (Publishers) Ltd 2013 © Henry Michael Gott 2013 To the best ofthe Publisher’s knowledge every effort has been made to contact relevant copyright holders and to clear any relevant copyright issues. Any omissions that come to their attention will be remedied in future editions. british library cataloguing in publication data Gott, Henry Michael, author. Ascetic modernism in the work ofT. S. Eliot and Gustave Flaubert. 1. Eliot, T. S. (Thomas Stearns), 1888–1965 – Criticism and interpretation. 2. Eliot, T. S. (Thomas Stearns), 1888–1965 Waste land. 3. Flaubert, Gustave, 1821–1880 – Criticism and interpretation. 4. Flaubert, Gustave, 1821–1880 Tentation de Saint Antoine. 5. Ascetics in literature. 6. Asceticism in literature. 7. Modernism (Literature) I. Title 821.9’12-dc23 ISBN-13: 9781848934375 e: 9781781440612 ∞ This publication is printed on acid-free paper that conforms to the American National Standard for the Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. Typeset by Pickering & Chatto (Publishers) Limited Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by Berforts Information Press CONTENTS Acknowledgements vii Introduction 1 1 Visual and Verbal Quotation in Flaubert and Eliot 11 2 Figuring the Saint: Physical and Intellectual Representations of Asceticism 51 3 The Empty Stage: Landscape and the Dramatic in La Tentation de Saint Antoine and The Waste Land 81 4 The Ascetic Text of La Tentation de Saint Antoine and The Waste Land 105 5 ‘Caught in the Circle of Desire’: The Vortex as Ascetic Metaphor 135 Conclusion 161 Notes 167 Works Cited 221 Index 237 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book has grown out of my doctoral research on the same topic in the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick, where my supervisor was Christina Britzolakis. I am indebted to the department for their support and guidance during my PhD, and to the university for the funding that enabled me to sustain both the project and myself. It has been necessary, in the course of my research, to consult the larger academic community, and I am very grateful for the input and expertise of Yvan Leclerc, Nancy Davenport and Jean-Benoît Guinot regarding minor points that were giving me some trouble. On a personal note, I would like to thank Harriet for her patience, and my parents for everything that they have done to enable me to reach this point. This book is dedicated to the memory of my father, and to my daughter Gretel – and by its long gestation it functions as a sort of link between the two. INTRODUCTION The lack of critical attention given to the important relationship between T. S. Eliot and Gustave Flaubert represents a surprising and concerning lacuna in the field of modernist studies, an oversight that this book undertakes to correct through an examination of the analogous manner in which each conceives of the ascetic saint as an emblematic figure for their aesthetic praxis. My analysis highlights the compatibility of the two authors, focusing especially on the works in which their interrelation is most prominent and most fruitful: La Tentation de Saint Antoine and The Waste Land.1 The comparison between these two texts is made not only on the basis of certain thematic and descripti

FAQs

What is the central focus of the book?

The book investigates the relationship between T. S. Eliot and Gustave Flaubert by examining how both conceive of the ascetic saint as an emblematic figure for their aesthetic practice.

Which works receive the most detailed comparison?

The comparison centers on La Tentation de Saint Antoine and The Waste Land, described as the works where the interrelation is most prominent and fruitful.

What analytical themes structure the chapters?

Chapters address quotation practices, representations of asceticism, theatrical staging and landscape, the ascetic character of the texts, and the vortex as an ascetic metaphor.

Sep 18, 2026

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