A Discourse in Waste Land

Kady Burrell

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery

For the final project I have chosen to do an imitation of T.S. Eliots The Waste Land.

I wanted to enter in the conversation of the long afterlife of The Waste Land not just imitate it though, so I had to take into account other poets who have done the same.

Louis Zukofsky: Poem Beginning The

Zukofsky referred to Eliots as a poet of classroom accuracies. In his imitation he plays up the overly scholarly aspects of T.W.L including footnotes, endless dedications, seriocomic prefatory notes, extensive allusions, etc. Zukofskys poem is often considered a parody of T.W.L. because of this. Ultimately his poem challenges the core concepts of Eliots modernism. After all of the allusions and excessive formalities Zukofsky ultimately dismisses them as insufficient rhetoric saying in the end Let me be/ Not by art have we lived (Comens).

William Carlos Williams Spring and All

On the opposite end of the spectrum William Carlos Williams did not approve of T.S. Eliots use of formalities. In his Autobiography Williams states Eliot was conforming to the excellencies of classroom English. He goes on to say, I felt at once that it had set me back twenty years and I'm sure it did. Critically, Eliot returned us to the classroom just at the moment when I felt we were on a point to escape to matters much closer to the essence of a new art form itselfrooted in the locality which should give it fruit (William Carlos Williams). Their outlook on the modern world was different as well. Where Eliot saw the evolving modern world as a negative, Williams saw it as a challenge. Through his poetry he hoped to inspire a broken, industrialized world. He said that art doesnt describe the imminence of an apocalypse but genuine art brings an apocalypse (Comens). Interestingly enough, Spring and All and The Waste Land are talking about the same terrain, but Williams captures it in a different light.

The Wasteland and Other Poems -John Beer

Finally, I wanted to situate myself in conversation with a more modern poet, John Beer, who came out with his book in 2010. His version of The Waste Land is highly autobiographical. Its also situated in American cities like Chicago and New Orleans and less formal. Where T.S. Eliot is obscure Beer is plain. He openly criticizes Eliot, even going as far as making a song in replace of that Shakespearean Rag which ridicules Eliot and his mindset.

Mother of the Waste Kady Burrell

In my imitation of T.W.L. I incorporated elements from all four of the aforementioned poets. From Zukofsky and Eliot I took formalities including allusions, footnotes, foreign languages, etc. However, similar to William Carlos Williams I would much rather inspire a broken world instead of talk about its imminent doom. Therefore, I incorporated the myth of Inanna, Sumerian goddess of war, love and fertility. Similar to Persephone, Inanna is often interpreted as an explanation for season change.

In the end of T.W.L. the reader has no clear answer as to whether or not rain has come and waste is over. I didnt want to leave my poem in limbo. I wanted to convey that through love, all prospers. My finals lines are the same as Eliots, shantih, shantih shantih, but there is no question on whether that peace is achieved. Then, on top of all that I included direct quotes from the original T.W.L. and all of the imitation poets, which I twist to conform to my overall message.

Works Cited
Beer, John. "The Waste Land." The Waste Land and Other Poems. Ann Arbor, MI: Canarium Books, 2010. 7-21. Print. Comens, Bruce. Apocalypse and after modern strategy and postmodern tactics in Pound, Williams, and Zukofsky. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1995. Print. "Louis Zukofsky." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

Ramazani, Jahan, Richard Ellmann, and Robert Clair. "Louis Zukofsky." The Norton anthology of modern and contemporary poetry. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2003. 732-738. Print.
"William Carlos Williams." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.