Paradise in the Waste Land

Book excerpt: Poetry. Critical Introduction by Jeremiah Webster. Starting with Eliot's infamous The Waste Land, the collection unfolds with some of Eliot's finest early poems, including "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," "Portrait of a Lady," and "Preludes" before it takes the reader through a little known short story ("Eeldrop and Appleplex"), an homage to the Metric and Poetry of Ezra Pound, the singularly celebrated "Tradition and the Individual Talent," a reappraisal of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and, at last, an essay on Dante. "Jeremiah Webster's brilliant Introduction leaves no doubt about Eliot's relevance for a new generation of readers."—Lee Oser "Dr. Webster's introduction offers compelling reasons for experienced readers to revisit Eliot, and powerful incentives for new readers to explore the landscape of this immeasurably influential artist."—Dr. E. Victor Bobb