The Waste Land

The greatest poem in English. A poem I love teaching. I am fixed on my three favorite lines, where I always begin my teaching: 

• April is the cruellest month
•                                       so many / I had not thought death had undone so many
• These fragments I have shored against my ruins

There are 32 of us reading the poem together this week. 31 have to write a paper on the poem. The students each posted their proposed passage to explicate on Blackboard yesterday and I find it fascinating just to look at which passages they chose. I never, for example, could have predicted the popularity of "The river's tent is broken." 

Here is the list (you'll note that a few of the 31 didn't get proposals in). I wonder what it says about us.

April is the cruellest month, breeding...tubers (lines 1-7)                         

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow… (19-30) 

Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante...                         

Madame Sosotris, famous clairvoyante lines 43-59                      

Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante' (43-59)                        

Unreal City (60-76)                                                           

Unreal City (60 ff. )                                                           

Unreal city...                                                           

Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed. (106-138)                         

What is that noise? (117-132)                                     

What shall I do now? What shall I do? (130-39)                         

Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart                         

The river's tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf (173-181)                        

The river’s tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf… (173-186).                                    

The river’s tent is broken (173-86)                                    

The river’s tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf (173-186)                        

The time is now propitious, as he guesses (235-248)                         

The time is now propitious, as he guess,... (lines 235-250)                         

The meal is ended, she is bored and tired, (236-248)                   

She turns and looks a moment in the glass... (249-256).                  

She turns and looks a moment in the glass (249-56)                     

She turns and looks a moment in the glass (249 ff.)                        

Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead (312-321)                       

Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead (312-321)                       

Here is no water but only rock (331-345)                        

Datta: What have we given? (401-423)