The Waste Land

Perhaps the most written-about long poem of the 20th century, T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" is a cornerstone of the modernist movement and deals with what was then viewed as the decline of civilization. Because of its changes of speaker, location, and time, as well as its numerous literary and cultural references, "The Waste Land" is often used in the classroom to exemplify how to explicate a poem. This title offers students an indispensable resource meant to deepen their appreciation of this seminal work by investigating its innovative use of language and imagery.