Megan Quigley on Modernism, #MeToo, and T.S. Eliot

Our own Megan Quigley has edited and written for a special Print Plus edition of Modernism/modernity that investigates the legacy of T.S. Eliot in the era of #MeToo. 

Quigley asks whether Eliot's poetry can still speak to contemporary readers, and inquires, "Should Eliot, who in 1957 married his secretary, 38 years his junior, now, in the era of #MeToo, be 'cancelled'?" Quigley goes on to note that "Eliot’s posthumously published racist verses, particularly in the aptly titled The Columbiad, may be reason enough to topple his still-towering status." And yet, notes Quigley, "Students born in the 1990s see their own experiences of sexual violence, economic precarity, and racism refracted in Eliot’s fragmented war-torn verse." Quigley then goes on to examine closely a reference to "pills" (and the subsequent scholarly annotation of that reference) in Eliot's "The Waste Land."

According to Modernism/modernity, "The Print Plus platform provides scholars of modernity a place to publish article-length pieces with the interactive/visual media embedded in their text. The site encourages author/reader interaction by providing discussion and comment forums. We also hope the platform will cultivate a readership beyond the academy, and as part of our commitment to public humanities, all content on this site is freely accessible."

Quigley's piece, along with eight others, may be read for free here.