Hebdomadal 2: T. S. Eliot (Updated 1/31)

Remember to bulid your argument around a close reading. Even if you are answering a topic that asks you to summarize the lecture, when you add your own argument to the lecturer's be sure to pick apart the rhetorical and formal details of a short passage from the text. (By "short," I usually mean one or two sentences of prose, and probably no more than four lines of poetry. The focus here should be on your own ideas.)

Note that I might add another topic later in the week, once I've heard Aaron's lecture on Tuesday.

Topic 1: Xtreme Close Reading

Choose a section of either "The Waste Land" or "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"--a full sentence in the vicinity of four lines long--that hasn't been covered in class. (If you turn in your hebdomadal before class you are welcome to choose any chunk of the poem you like.) Quote this passage in your hebdomadal and, for one long paragraph, read it as closely as possible. In particular, identify

• The sorts of words that Eliot chose to use, and in particular words that are repeated (inside the section or from elsewhere in the poem) and that sound somehow unusual
• Keep an eye out also for metaphor and symbolism, as well as for other basic literary tropes (allusion is a big one, and irony)
• The organization of words within that passage: is the syntax poetic? conversational? awkward? erudite?
• The punctuation and--if interesting--even the indentation of the lines.
• Look also at the meter of the poem: are the numbers of syllables consistent between lines? How about the arrangement of stresses?
• What words rhyme within or between lines?

Using these details, write a paragraph analyzing the tone and structure of this passage. That is to say, characterize how these details of your reading give you a sense of what this passage is saying over and above what the words themselves mean. How do these lines give us a sense of what the poem is about? (Remember: I am looking for original analysis here. There's nothing wrong with agreeing with Aaron or Prof. Wolfe, but be sure that if you work with their ideas that you take them in your own direction.

Topic 2: Grail Quest or Failed Mess?

Think of this as a brain teaser: rewrite Aaron's Tuesday lecture in 100 words or fewer, focusing--necessarily--only on his main points. Cram as much detail into your summary as possible. (If you want to write your summary in paratactic Eliotic verse à la "The Waste Land," go for it!)

The remaining 150+ words should, of course, involve your building off of Aaron's ideas and arguments. You might tackle some of the specific textual questions he raises: Who ventures into the chapel perilous, and does he succeed? Is something positive betokened by the falling rain of the first lines and of the chapel perilous scene? Is "The Fire Sermon" arguing for celibacy or against lustful infertility? Just how should we read "Shantih shantih shantih"?