“Dogwood and Chestnut, Flowering Judas”: The Role of Tree Images in T.S. Eliot’s Poetry

• Authors: Julia Wilde
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The aim of this paper is to examine the role of the tree depictions in T.S. Eliot’s poetry and to demonstrate the way they enrich interpretations of particular poems. In every culture the tree symbolizes similar notions such as life or rebirth. Yet, different tree species have been believed to possess certain properties and sometimes even personalities – this knowledge is passed on through cultural transmission and thus may linger on the edges of one’s consciousness. This seems also true for T.S. Eliot and the symbolism of the trees appearing in his poetry. Despite the fact that they tend to be presented either as a background or the scenery for the lyrical situation, one should not assume that they were chosen accidentally – especially given the purposefulness and rich symbolism of Eliot’s writings. For this reason, the analysis of tree depictions in Eliot’s selected poems reveals new aspects of interpretations, drawing attention to the connection between the author and the culture he was rooted in.

Keywords

EN

T.S. Eliot; poetry; trees; literature; modernism; culture; symbol

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej
• Journal: New Horizons in English Studies
• Year: 2019
• Issue: 4

Dates

published

2019

online

2019-09-13

Contributors

author

Julia Wilde

• University of Warsaw

editor

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

editor

Adam Głaz

editor

Lidia Kniaź-Hunek

editor

Anna Bendrat

editor

Ewelina Prażmo

editor

Przemysław Terejko

editor

Piotr Szczypa

editor

Grzegorz Czemiel

editor

Ewa Antoszek

editor

Justyna Galant

editor

Marta Komsta

editor

Edyta Frelik

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

editor

Anna Oleszczuk

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

other

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

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Identifiers

DOI

10.17951/nh.2019.4.52-66