Marcia Karp wrote:

> If what you say is true -- that the writing of the poem was a coping
> strategy for the wounded poet -- in what ways does your insight matter
> to the reading of the poem?  I don't mean in what ways was Eliot
> affected by his own life, but in what ways do readers benefit from
> knowing the facts of his life?

This might not be a word I would thought of using before quoting
Joseph Campbell but what is wrong with compassion?

Or admiration?  Did you ever see a quasi-autobiography in this form
before?

There are many ways to read "The Waste Land."  Some may really take
your fancy, others make you at least consider some good thoughts and
still others may seem to come from some place strange.  You are free
to pick and choose any combination (unless your publisher wants an
original interpretation.)  So, you don't have to interpret TWL as a
personal grumbling of Eliot's but when I do I feel I get the most out
of the poem.

Regards,
   Rick Parker



T.S. Eliot's Personal Waste Land: Exorcism of the Demons
    http://world.std.com/~raparker/exploring/thewasteland/exmiller.html

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