T.S. Eliot's search for Eden: An examination of the mythic pattern of expulsion, exile, and redemption

The works of poet T.S. Eliot translate the mythological legacy of the primal Eden archetype of expulsion, exile, and redemption into the language and setting of the 20th century. In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," The Waste Land, "Ash Wednesday," and Four Quartets, the Eden archetype provides a window into Eliot's poetry that offers a sense of unification to his poetic vision. It parallels his own pilgrim's journey from the perfection of Eden to exile in the waste land of the modern world and through purgation to the redemption promised to the faithful in the Garden of the Blessed. Avatars of Adam and Eve include the Vegetation God, the Grail King, the Earth Goddess, and the Blessed Lady. Examination of Eliot's use of these allegorical figures in the context of the Eden myth provides unique insights into his complex and masterful modern works and his own life.