I was telling someone today that people hardly read novels anymore, never mind poetry. As for Eliot, I cannot see The Waste Land or Four Quartets every being just written off, but I believe that Stevens will end up as top pooch. In a message dated 11/26/2004 12:57:57 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: Joshua Goldstein wrote: > > This is the second time in just two weeks that I have been made aware that Eliot is not important now as he should still be, and forever be. > Forever is a long time. Consider the poets who belonged to pre-literate societies and whose works died with their voice or with the language of the tribe. Someplace in Pound -- "Wave falls / And the hand falls" (?) How many today (other than specialist scholars) read Pindar, Cavalcante, Villon, or Chaucer? Eliot invigorated many intellects for over three-quarters of a century. That is something. Carrol