A comparative study of the poetic imagination of T. S. Eliot and Salvador Espriu

Abstract

The main thesis of this study is that T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) and Salvador Espriu (1913-1985) are comparable poets, which is made evident in their common use of a number of archetypal images rooted in a literary tradition that they attempt to preserve and continue. The object of study being imagery in the poetic productions of both authors, a preliminary chapter explores concepts such as image, imagery and imagination. Eliot's Waste Land and Espriu's post-war Sinera are compared, both being demonic or tragic settings (Northrop Frye's terminology is used) that conform to the imaginative cluster of the desert. The archetypal images of desert and garden, as concretised by the two poets, are also contrasted. Also examined are the image of the modern city, the archetypal personalities appearing in the poetic works considered, the imagery of time as experienced by humans and the imagery of natural cycles. This work also proposes a systematic method to study poetic imagery, which is applied to the analysis of Eliot's Four Quartets and Espriu's Final del Laberint comparatively. Finally, several works by the two poets are compared with a variety of texts, creating a web of influence and confluence within timeless tradition.