T. S. Eliot, The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism

Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Ed. by Chris Baldick, Goldsmiths College, University of London
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Newman University), Louise McDonald (Newman University)

Dates

First circulation or publication Nov 1920

Places

England (Publication/ performance; Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Commentary / Criticism (literary)
- Essay Collection

Resources

The Sacred Wood (1920) was the first book of prose writings by the American-born poet T. S. Eliot. A collection of literary essays, it was written in 1919-20 in the time that Eliot, then aged 30-31, could spare from his day-job at Lloyd’s Bank in London. Within a few years, its growing reputation established Eliot as the commanding new critical authority of his generation both in Britain and in the USA, shaping critical thought for decades to come. With its emphases on the impersonality of literary art and the obligation of criticism to analyse works rather than enthuse about literary personalities or periods, Eliot’s book represented a renewal by self-purification of literary criticism and its purposes. The …

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

2226 words

Citation: Baldick, Chris. "The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 February 2021 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7636, accessed 22 November 2024.]

Save this article