TS Eliot analysis ‘Gerontion’ (1920)

Title & epigraph Title: The title, ‘Gerontion,’ is a diminutive form of the Greek word, ‘Geron,’ which directly translates to ‘little old man.’ This title holds a certain significance as it is a somewhat eponymous one; describing the little old man that is the poem’s central figure and focal point. Epigraph: Thou hast nor youth nor age But as it were an after-dinners sleep Dreaming on both The epigraph is an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, III. The lines are spoken by the Duke to Claudio, a young man who is sentenced to death. Through the inclusion of this set of dialogue, Eliot alludes that they are particularly pertinent to life in a larger sense. This epigraph establishes the key theme of the poem, being just that – ‘life’ itself, which Eliot explores through his protagonist of an old man, ‘dry’ and withered and reflecting on the rhythmic passing and cycle of time. The ‘gerontion’s’ voice narrates the poem and it is told from his perspective.

Themes / Concerns - Religion - Suffering / Faith - War -Passion (or lack thereof) - Disillusionment with post-WWI society - Old age

More themes Perversion of religion; respecting the Sacraments. · Originally going to be before the Wasteland. · History and art do not explain how things are in our own life. · Arid, dry. · Gerontion represents Europe; hasn’t found fate so therefore hasn’t found hope or fulfilment.

Literary Devices Pastiche Pastiche in a literary piece imitates another famous work of another writer, but unlike parody or satire, it instead aims to honour / pay homage to the writer. In ‘Gerontion’ Eliot was particularly influenced by Shakespeare, adopting the style of a dramatic monologue seen in the stanza beginning with ‘and after such knowledge?’ -also uses rhetorical questions in a similarly Shakespearean style - However unlike most Shakespearean monologues Gerontion’s dramatic speech provides us with little insight into his inner thoughts due to the poem’s irregular structure, shifting of pronouns, unknown audience and intellectual rambling Allusions / References (both historical and literary) Free verse (‘vers libre’) Personas – like other Eliot characters such as the unnamed man in ‘Portrait of a Lady’ or Prufrock, some of their problems/ views may have been shared by Eliot but they are not a representation of the poet himself. Eg. Gerontion is an old man musing over the state of Europe after the first world war, having spent most of his life in the 19th Century.

Suffering and Faith The old man, Gerontion seems to be seeking some sort of enlightenment or sense of inner peace from the great battles of the past and present, yet he finds history’s cyclic nature confusing and pointless. Gerontion mocks those who pervert or modernise religion: ‘Madame de Tourquist…shifting the candles’ (reference to clairvoyance/ psychic abilities) or those who worship art: ‘Hakagawa, bowing among the Titians’ (Titian was a famous Renaissance painter) and maintains that the only way to find meaning in life is through ‘the word’ of Christ, yet Gerontion’s problem is his refusal of faith.

Religion At the time in which Gerontion was written (1920) Eliot had not yet severed himself from his Puritan roots but was examining religion as a whole and considering his own faith. He was particularly disdainful of those in the modern era perverting religion; making it watered down or over simplified. -Focused on the aspect of terror in religion ‘Christ the tiger’ ‘us he devours’