The impact of T.S. Eliot on the English drama of his time. A study of the years 1919-55

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to determine the nature and value of Eliot's contribution to the development of drama in England in the first half of the twentieth century. An attempt is made to estimate the force of Eliot's impact on the English drama of his time by a critical analysis of the essential nature of the drama written before and after his entry upon the dramatic scene, and by an estimate of the fundamental changes effected by his work in the nature of this drama, and in dramatic outlook and technique. Chapter I is a study of the main trends in English drama from the heritage of Ibsen in England in which Eliot's work is reviewed as a possible outcome of the drama which preceded it. Chapter II traces the development of Eliot from poet into dramatist, and involves an examination, with particular reference to Eliot's own work, of the essential difference between the poetic drama and the dramatic poem. In Chapter III the nature and originality of Eliot's drama is discussed, and his plays are criticised in detail. Chapter IV is an attempt to formulate Eliot's dramatic theory fromhis critical theories of this century. Chapter V is a study of the work written after Eliot, indicating the primary effects of Eliot's impact, exhibiting any evidence of direct influence, and looking back to the findings of the first chapter. The conclusion outlines the progress of development in brief and summarises the achievement. A select book-list is appended.