Blog Post

T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets, & Quarantine Notebook: What Writing Taught Me About Our Divided Times - Plenary I

By James Matthew Wilson

During the first months of the pandemic, I wrote a series of news-article poems recording the events, public and private, of the period. They were published serially in Dappled Things magazine and together constitute a narrative that, even at their most private or domestic, constitute a record of the American experience as a whole. The concrete fruit was a book-length poem; the intellectual fruit was a new and deepened perspective on the divisions in our country and the strange commonality Americans experience in and through that division. I will reflect on the composition of the poem and also on another long poem written through international disaster, T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, which also sought to be a national poem in a time of division and destruction.

Presentation at 10:00am on Friday, January 13 in St George Cathedral Fellowship Hall

< Older Post Newer Post >

Support Cultural Renewal by Contributing to the Inklings Fall Fundraiser Inklings Festival Information & Registration

Contribute to Cultural Renewal by Sharing on Your Preferred Platform

In an isolating secularized culture where the Church's voice is muffled through her many divisions, Christians need all the help they can get to strengthen their faith in God and love toward their neighbor. Eighth Day Institute offers hope to all Christians through our adherence to the Nicene faith, our ecumenical dialogues of love and truth, and our many events and publications to strengthen faith, grow in wisdom, and foster Christian friendships of love. Will you join us in our efforts to renew soul & city? Donate today and join the community of Eighth Day Members who are working together to renew culture through faith & learning.