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S. Eliot and the Essay  \nStudies in Christianity and Literature 5  \nEDITORIAL BOARD  \nAnn W. Astell Professor of Theology University of Notre Dame  \nJohn D. Cox DuMez Professor of English Hope College  \nSusan M. Felch  \nProfessor of English Calvin College  \nSusan VanZanten Gallagher Professor of English  \nDirector, Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development Seattle Pacific University  \nRoger Lundin Blanchard Professor of English Wheaton College  \nDebora K. Shuger Professor of English University of California, Los Angeles  \nPatricia A. Ward Professor of French and Comparative Literature Vanderbilt University  \nT. S. Eliot and the Essay From The Sacred Wood to Four Quartets  \n=  \nG. Douglas Atkins  \nBAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS  \n© 2010 by Baylor University Press Waco, Texas 76798-7363  \nAll Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Baylor University Press.  \nCover Design by Rebecca Lown  \nCover Image: T. S. Eliot (b/w photo), English Photographer,(20th century) / Private Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library International. Used by permission.  \neISBN: 978-1-60258-481-5 (e-PDF)  \nThis E-book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who encounter any issues with formatting, text, linking, or readability are encouraged to notify the publisher [at BUP_Production@baylor.edu. Some](at BUP_Production@baylor.edu. Some) font characters may not display on older Kindle devices.  \nTo inquire about permission to use selections from this text, please contact Baylor University Press, One Bear Place, \\#97363, Waco, Texas 76798.  \nLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data  \nAtkins, G. Douglas (George Douglas), 1943– T. S. Eliot and the essay / G. Douglas Atkins.  \n[p. cm](p. cm).—(Studies in Christianity and literature ; 5) Includes bibliographical references and index.  \nISBN 978-1-60258-255-2 (alk. paper)  \n1. Eliot, T. S. (Thomas Stearns), 1888-1965—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. PS3509 .L43Z599 2010  \n821'.912—dc22 2009039493  \nPrinted in the United States of America on acid-free paper with a minimum of 30% pcw recycled content.  \n=  \nContents  \nAcknowledgments vii  \nPreface ix  \nIntroduction—Eliot the Essayist 1  \n1 Against (Pure) Transcendence: The Essay and Embodied Truth 11  \n2 Eliot, Montaigne, and the Essay: The Matter of Personality 29  \n3 Turning the Essay: “Tradition and the Individual Talent” 45  \n4 The Perfect Critic and Imperfect Critics: The Essay, Criticism,  \nand Impurity 59  \n5 Eliot’s Prose Voice: The Critical Essayist as Medium 69  \n6 “Restoring / With a New Verse the Ancient Rhyme” 81  \n7 Four Quartets: The Poem as Essay 91  \n8 The Impure Art of Four Quartets: Where Literature and  \nPhilosophy Meet 111  \nConclusion—Faring Forward, Exploring Still: Participation Instead of Puritan’s Progress 123  \nNotes 131  \nWorks Cited 135  \nIndex 139  \nto Kate and Oliver  \n=  \nAcknowledgments  \nMy debt to Old Possum is enormous. He taught me more about faith (and doubt), Christianity, and Christ than I ever managed to squeeze out of Sunday School, sermons heard and read and studied, required and elective courses in college (Wofford and once at Converse) in the Bible and contemporary interpretations of Christian thought, and years of writing about Dryden, Pope, and Deism, belief “A(fter) D(econstruction),” the “dehellenizing of literary criticism,” and the deeply religious work of Geoffrey Hartman, among other instances ofan obviously abiding interest, desire, and need.  \nA class in Eliot and Pound that I taught for the first time in the spring semester of 2000 honed my understanding of Eliot’s poetry and enabled me to see what he means by “Incarnation.” Other debts include those many to the essay, which I have acknowledged in several places already; to recount them here would make for a","cbCaiiA8z4KeLbLg","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiiA8z4KeLbLg","pdf",2904362,158,"English","# Contents\n## Acknowledgments\n## Preface\n## Introduction—Eliot the Essayist\n## 1 Against (Pure) Transcendence: The Essay and Embodied Truth\n## 2 Eliot, Montaigne, and the Essay: The Matter of Personality\n## 3 Turning the Essay: “Tradition and the Individual Talent”\n## 4 The Perfect Critic and Imperfect Critics: The Essay, Criticism, and Impurity\n## 5 Eliot’s Prose Voice: The Critical Essayist as Medium\n## 6 “Restoring / With a New Verse the Ancient Rhyme”\n## 7 Four Quartets: The Poem as Essay\n## 8 The Impure Art of Four Quartets: Where Literature and Philosophy Meet\n## Conclusion—Faring Forward, Exploring Still: Participation Instead of Puritan’s Progress\n## Notes\n## Works Cited\n## Index","[{\"question\":\"What is the book’s central focus on Eliot’s writing?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on how T. S. Eliot’s essayistic approach shapes his criticism and how that approach connects to religious and philosophical concerns.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the book treat “Four Quartets” in relation to the essay?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that “Four Quartets” functions as an essay-like work, exploring how literature and philosophy meet within the poem’s form and voice.\"},{\"question\":\"Which essays or concepts are highlighted as turning points?\",\"answer\":\"It gives special attention to “Tradition and the Individual Talent” and investigates related ideas about tradition, personality, and critical purity versus impurity.\"}]","T. S. Eliot and the Essay - Studies in Christianity and Literature 5 | PDF",1789985802,243]