It was the height of WWII when T. S. Eliot published his masterpiece, The Four Quartets (1943). England was locked in a bitter fight with the Nazis. Yet in poems like "Burnt Norton" and "Little Gidding," Eliot pays tribute to that most German composer, Beethoven. Why would he do this?
This special episode features an audio essay/documentary narrated by Aakanksha Virkar Yates (University of Brighton), as well as noted Eliot scholars Sir Christopher Ricks (Boston University), John Xiros Cooper (Prof Emeritus, University of British Columbia), and Frances Dickey (University of Missouri).
Special thanks to Alan Hall at Falling Tree Productions, London, which produced this documentary. Thanks to Rachel Shelley for readings of Eliot's prose/poetry. Included are archival recordings of Beethoven by the Lener Quartet. This documentary was made possible through the University of Brighton Rising Stars award. Thanks to Blue Dot Sessions for additional music.
For more information about Assay: The Journal of Nonfiction Studies visit www.assayjournal.com.
