Poetry and Drama

Faber and Faber

1950

35 p.

In November 1950 Mr. Eliot delivered an address which his publishers later persuaded him to consent to publish. The address' theme is the use of poetry for dramatic purposes, and the effect of the dramatic purpose upon the poetry. In the first section he briefly considers 'the problems of poetic drama and the conditions which it must fulfil' and the 'more general reasons for wanting to see it restored to its place', drawing his examples from Shakespeare. In the second part Mr Eliot pulls his own dramatic achievements in pieces - not destructively, but in order to measure the ground for his next play. For most dramatic poets The Cocktail Party's almost incredible stage-success might be sufficient evidence that its author had mastered his aim. For Mr. Eliot the ideal of poetic drama is 'an unattainable ideal'. And he confesses that this is why it interests him. It is 'an incentive towards further experiment and exploration, beyond any goal which there is prospect of attaining'.

Английский