While reading Eliot's short story, I was confused a lot. The story had strange themes and seemed pretty dark. It wasn't a clear read, and jumped around a bit. Since a lot of the authors we learn about in this class came from strange backgrounds, I figured this would be no different. While reading through his story, I asked myself, "What kind of life did T.S. Eliot lead?"
Below is a reading of Eliot's, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAO3QTU4PzY>In 1888, T.S. Eliot was born in Missouri. His parents were both 44 when he was born, and he was the last of six surviving children. Henry Eliot, his father, was a successful business man. Charlotte Sterns, his mother, was a poet and a social worker. During his childhood, Eliot had a huge physical limitation. He had a double hernia, where some one's intestines jut through the bowel wall, which causes abdominal rupture. Obviously this would be hard on anyone, but extremely traumatising for him. He was always kept away from his peers, and felt left out for most of his young life. In his young life, he couldn't play outside with the young kids his age, and was always indoors. This started his love for literature.
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/t-s-eliot-33.php
T.S. Eliot began writing poetry at age 14, and was a perfectionist. He often spent days on a writing, then would rip it to shreds because he was so hard on himself. He attended college and graduated in three years instead of four. Eliot moved to Paris, where he attended lectures and wrote a lot of poetry. On June 26, 1915, Eliot married Vivienne Haigh-Wood, a Cambridge governess. She suffered from long-term insomnia, migraines, fever, and colitis. This caused many strains in their marriage, because she was often sent away for recovery. Eliot worked as a teacher for a long time, He later became a director, and published many important English writings. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/life.htm
In 1927, Eliot converted from Unitarianism to Anglicanism, and he also took British citizenship in that year. By 1932, T.S. Eliot had been thinking about getting a separation from his wife. He was offered a great job from Harvard, and decided to take the chance and leave his wife in England. After he left, his ex-wife was committed to a mental hospital, where she remained until she died. In 1957, Eliot re-married. His new wife, Esme' Fletcher, was 30 and he was 68. She had been his secretary, and they held a secret wedding ceremony at 6:15 a.m. Since Eliot died, his wife dedicated her life to preserving her husband's legacy.
Eliot and his second wife, Esme'
T.S. Eliot died of Emphysema in England in 1965. He had many health problems, and was a heavy smoker. He was cremated, and his ashes are now placed with a wall plaque that reads, "In my beginning is my end. In my end is my beginning.", a quote from his poem, "East Coker". Eliot had a very interesting life, and accomplished so many things. He was a well-rounded person who loved to travel, and his intelligence surpassed most.
