TheInfinitelySufferingThingTSEliotsPreludes文.docx

TheInfinitelySufferingThingTSEliotsPreludes文.docx

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TheInfinitelySufferingThingTSEliotsPreludes文

TheInfinitelySufferingThing：

———T.S.Eliot's“Preludes”

：

thisarticleexplicateshowEliot'ssubjectsinhis“Preludes”strugglebetweenthelossoflanguageinthemodernrealityandtheimpossibilitytoattaintheidealisticstateofloveandmeaning.Thesubjectintheseshortpoems，inthePoet'smodernisticdepiction，turnsouttobethefailedversionoftheRenaissancemanortheonethatlosesspiritualityintheeyesoftheRomantics，

thusenvisagingthedoomedstateofmodernhumanityattheturnofthetwentiethcentury.

s：

symbolic；discourse；Renaissance；Romantics，history

ReadersofEliotwillinevitablywitnessthedisabilityoftheWordwithinthewordin“Preludes”and“Rhapsody.”Throughhistoryandspaceandeverydetail

ofhumanexperience，displayedherearethemasqueradesofdoomedsoulswhoswarmthroughBoston，Paris，orLondon“likewadingthroughtime”（Gordon26）.Inthesense

ofdiscourse，J.C.C.Maysremarksthatitistheimpotencyofsymboliclanguageinsufficientforthesituationand

thatthesignifierisneveradequateforthesignified（112）.So，inthesepoems，desirehaslostitsobjectandhasbeenflowingonthesurfaceoftimeandspace，justtoadoptapsychoanalyticviewoflanguage.LiketheotherPrufrockianpoems，theystretchthesoulofthesubjectin“thethousandsordidimages”（CPP23）inthepresenttense，permeatingrepetitivesuccessionsofscenesandthings，smellsandsounds，lightandshadows.Theimpersonalviewandvoiceproducedfromthevantagepointof“ancientwomen”（Ditto）remindreadersoftheclassicalabsentee（laterpersonifiedinTiresiasor

Gerontion）andexposeTimeandeternityinalanguageinpursuitofanunderstandingofthingsingeneral（Moody，“FourQuartets”148）.Thecut-inofpronounsandconsciousnesslaysbareindividualfanciesandmemoriesasparticlesofthenamelesshordesoflostsoulsreadytobedevouredbythedepthsofDanteanhell.

Thefirst“Prelude”iswrittenaround1909-10，whichcollects“witheredleaves”and“burnt-outends”（22）oftimeandspace.Theyaredampenedbythewintershoweroverpassageways，vacantlots，brokenblindsandchimney-pots，street，cab-horseandotherfragmentary

witnesses，inthehellishcenterofwhich“you”（22-3）standsalone，likeDanteamongdamnedsouls：

Thewintereveningsettlesdown

Withsmellofsteaksinpassageways.

Sixo'clock.

Theburnt-outendsofsmokydays.

AndnowagustyshowerwrapsThegrimyscraps

Ofwitheredleavesaboutyourfeet

Andnewspapersfromvacantlots；

Theshowersbeat

Onbrokenblindsandchimney-pots，

Andatthecornerofthestreet

Alonelycab-horsesteamsandstamps.

Andthenthelightingofthelamps.（22）

Thepresenttenseofgrammarandpluralformofnounssetupconsciousnessasapast-in-presententryinimagisticlinesofconcreteexpression.Eliotalsoputsineffectatoneofimpatienceinthesteamingandstampingofthefrettinghorseattheintersectionofdayandnight.Theintensityofconfrontationofpastintermsof“smokydays”andpresentrepresentedinthemultipledisplayoftheurbanlandscapeisbarelybalancedattheedgeofthe

day，atthevergeoftheyearandattheveryborderofsanity.Eliotthusdesignsanimpossibletimehere，ashewilladoptsubstantiallyinTheWasteLand，tocreatetheinevitablesenseoftheapproachofdarknesstotheconsciousness.Thesuddennessofthelightingoflampsbetraystheunbearableweightofwaitingasifforajudgment，orforthelostsoultofallheadlongintothetorturedcrowdingoftheinfernoreal.However，the

“lonely”cab-horseimpliesalonelysubjectintheexpectationofthecloseofthedayandofthebeginningofanightlife.Itservesasenseofpreparationfortheoncomingrendezvous，whichrevealsaquestorforan“uncertain”journey.Thelinkingwordsof“andthen”

alsoindicateareadinessthatmergeslateronintheinvitationof“Prufrock”（13）.Thus，thesmallpoem

createsaparadoxofnegation-in-confirmation，orvice

versa.Inthefaceofdevouringdoomandhorror，thepoetdirectsthesupposedsubjecttowardsanact，despite

repeatedsignsofbelatedness.

Thesecond“Prelude”isoverflowedwiththesimulacraofmonotonousexperiencespointingtoasenseofcommunity，fromwhichconsciousnessofthe“one”

emerges：

Themorningcomestoconsciousness

Offaintstalesmellsofbeer

Fromthesawdust-trampledstreetWithallitsmuddyfeetthatpressToearlycoffee-stands.WiththeothermasqueradesThattimeresumes，OnethinksofallthehandsThatareraisingdingyshadesInathousandfurnishedrooms.（22）

Anonymousmuddyfeetinthepoemprovetobethedevaluedversionofhumanexistenceintheeffectthattheyappearonlyasillusoryentries.Theycombineintoamiscellanyofsmellsofbeer，coffee-standsandthesawduststreetetc.，whichbetraythemeaninglesstrivialitiesofaroutinelife.Thesecondstanzaalsodepictsanapparition-likeexistenceofhumanityintheimageofphysicalfragmentsandnon-concretepropertyof“dingyshades/Inathousandfurnishedrooms.”ThisscenecanalsobecomparabletothecaseofAugustineonthejourneytoCarthage，whosawaroundhim“masquerades”

ofsinfulsouls“thattimeresumes”（Ditto），who“sangallaroundmeinmyearsacaldronofunholyloves”（TheConfessionsofSt.AugustineIII，I）.ThealmosthiddenWordintheconsciousnessofthe“one”archesoverthe

sordidrepetitionsofhumantriviathroughtimeandplaceinthepluraluseof“athousandfurnishedrooms”（22）.Itbaresthefallenstateofhumanityinthemomentwherethepoeticspeakerisbarelybalancedbetweennightandday.However，theapparentdancingimageinthelastlinesseems，atthesametime，toconferaconfirmationonthemomentoflife，whichhelpsdefythepessimisticviewthatthedormantmindholdsatthestart.Dingyanddamnedasitisinreality，humanlifecannonethelessmanageoutdanceandrhythm.SothisearlypoemthatEliotcreatedinhisHarvardyearsisalreadycompetentinitsportraitoftheconflictbetweenconsciousnessandrealityandleavesroomforhopedespiterepeatednegationsfromhistoryandthemoment.The“PreludeIII”focusesonthestale

taleofadamnedsoulpersonifiedintheimageofafallenfeminineinbaredbodyandsoul，waitingintheviolet

hours，who，asManganarosummates，seems“unabletoperceiveanythingbeyondtherealmofthefleshly”（30）.

ItissupposedtobewritteninParisinthefollowingyear，butseemstobeaninsomniacrepresentationofthepersonathatthematicallyechoesthe“one”inthesecondprelude：

Youtossedablanketfromthebed，

Youlayuponyourback，andwaited；

Youdozed，andwatchedthenightrevealing

Thethousandsordidimages

Ofwhichyoursoulwasconstituted；

Theyflickeredagainsttheceiling.（23）

The“thousandfurnishedrooms”（22）thatkeephoveringoverthemindalsofindtheirwayintothe“thousandsordidimages/ofwhichyoursoulwas

constituted”（23）.Ontheonehand，thedefinitearticleimpliesafamiliaritythatpermeatesthemind，leavingnoroomfortranscendence.Ontheother，theword“waited”（22）presupposesanactincontradictiontothesordidscene.Butonthewhole，thepoemiscreatedinthepasttense，whichgivesaneffectofbelatednessthatnegatestheactofmind.Bereftofdreamsinthewakefulnights，

thesoulisdriedupbetweennightandday.Inthefollowinglines，continuesthegnawingrelationbetweentheoutsidepowerofthemindthatpredictsdoomandtheunquenchedhope

thatresoundsinthethroatofsparrows，whichiscertainlyasymboloflife，musicandhope.Thoughtheyarenotlike

soundof

“ToaSky-Lark

Shelley'sskylarkthatcharmsearswithitsvernalowners/onthetwinklinggrass

305），norKeats'nightingalewhose“beakfullofthewarmsouth”（“OdetoaNightingale”189），noroneofWordsworth's“littlehedge-rowbirds”（“OldMan

Travelling”105）becauseEliothastransplantedtheromanticimageintothe“dingy”presenceofurban

gutters，stillwecanreadouttheromantichopefromthedoom-ladenlinesof“sordid”signs：

Andwhenalltheworldcameback

Andthelightcreptupbetweentheshutters，

Andyouheardthesparrowsinthegutters，

Youhadsuchavisionofthestreet

Asthestreethardlyunderstands；（23）

Thepastoralimagesofdawnandsparrowsincontrastwithurbansignsofshuttersandgutterscondenselifeandhopewithlonelyanddrearylandscape.Eliotrendersthesceneinthewaythat“thedaybringsrelieffromthe

night，andthenightbringsrelieffromtheday”（Jay

196）.Thefollowinglinesaresignificantinvariousways.

First，theyplaceinthecenterofthestagethelowlifeinthecity，whichisinsharpcontrasttotheBeatricimageoftheweepingwoman，orPrufrock'sladiesthattalkofMichelangelointhebackgroundofthespeaker's

consciousness.Wehaveherethesullenlifeofafemininesubject：

Sittingalongthebed'sedge，where

Youcurledthepapersfromyourhair，

Orclaspedtheyellowsolesoffeet

Inthepalmsofbothsoiledhands.（23）

senseofreality.

Secondly，theyenhancethejarring

LiketheprostitutesonEliot'sneighborhoodinSt.Louis，

ParisandLondonandnotunlikethetypistgirlsthatwork

，they

inthesamebankwithEliot，thefemininepersonaservesahorrificsignofthemodernworld.Thirdlysubstantiatethepsychicdialoguebetweenthespiritualstrivingsforhopeandmeaningandthelow-registeredrealismforearthboundrepresentationofthemodernsituation.Thusthepoembetraysthecondensedconflictsinthementalspaceinthefaceofexistentialdilemmadepictedbetweennightanddayan