A Study Of Imageies On Time And Redemption In Four Quartets

Thomas Stearns Eliot（1888-1965）was a representative poet of Late Symbolism in the 20^th century.In 1948,he won the Nobel prize in literature by Four Quartets.This thesis is based on the study of imageries in Four Quartets to analyze the theme of poetry,aims to reveal the poet’s meditation on human time and destiny.The whole thesis consists of seven parts.They are introduction,five main chapters and conclusion.The first part is introduction,which briefly introduces Eliot’s life and works,and briefly summarizes the framework of this thesis.The first chapter is the foreign and domestic research status.I divide the research stages of Four Quartets abroad and domestically,and list some important research achievements.The second chapter is theoretical foundation.This chapter introduces Eliot’s Objective Correlative Theory and the De-Personalization Theory.At the same time,the notion of Symbolism and Imagism and their influence on Eliot’s poetry creation are analyzed in details.The third,fourth and fifth chapter are the core parts of the thesis.Chapter three and chapter four complement each other,analyze the imageries reflect the theme of time and redemption.Other imageries in Four Quartets are analyzed in chapter five,which makes the study of imageries more comprehensive.The third chapter analyzes the imageries that reflect the theme of time.This chapter includes transitory time imageries and eternal time imageries.The imagery of rose and the imagery of river symbolize human beings’transitory lifetime.The imagery of the rose garden and the imagery of sea symbolize eternal time.The“still point of the turning world”in the rose garden symbolizes the intersection of eternal time and the real time,it also represents the integration and the unification of present,past and future.The imagery of sea is a symbol of eternal time and the witness of time.Chapter four analyzes those imageries reflect the theme of redemption.In this part,the fire imagery and the imageries of religious features are analyzed in details.The imagery of bonfire is a symbol of witness to human history.Meanwhile,it also explains why humanity needs to be redeemed,that is,to get rid of the bondage of historical destination.The imagery of fire symbolizes both destruction and rebirth.In Eliot’s point of view,redemption can only be achieved through the fire of purgatory.“The rose and the fire are one”brings out the poet’s ultimate aspiration and pursuing.Besides,the imageries of religious figures fully reflect the poet’s conviction of God’s redemptive road,and also point out two ways of religious redemption.They are God’s redemption and self-redemption.Chapter five is the interpretation of other imageries in Four Quartets.The defamiliarized imageries include the imagery of bird,the imagery of the yew tree and the imagery of axle.Besides,the imageries from ancient Greek mythology are introduced in this chapter.The last part is a summary of the whole thesis:Eliot’s spiritual world is subjective and abstract,the analysis of imagery gives us a clear assessment of the realistic theme.These imageries help us find peace and eternity in the spiritual world.