Little Gidding (poem)
It was first published in September 1942 after being delayed for over a year because of the air-raids on Great Britain during World War II and Eliot's declining health.
The title refers to a small Anglican community in Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire, established by Nicholas Ferrar in the 17th century and scattered during the English Civil War.
According to the poet, humanity's flawed understanding of life and turning away from God leads to a cycle of warfare, but this can be overcome by recognising the lessons of the past.
Following the completion of the third Four Quartets poem, The Dry Salvages, Eliot's health declined and he stayed in Shamley Green, Surrey, while he recovered.
The religious community was dispersed during the English Civil War between Parliamentarians and Royalists but re-formed, ending with the death of John Ferrar in 1657.
The ghost discusses change, art in general, and how humankind is flawed, revealing the futility of clinging to past achievements and the importance of accepting both failures and accomplishments.
The ghost emphasizes that spiritual refinement comes through suffering, while moving forward requires letting go of old patterns and embracing deeper understanding.
The famous phrase “All shall be well” points to the redemptive power of divine grace, echoing Julian of Norwich’s vision of ultimate reconciliation.
The imagery of fire and the rose merging symbolizes the union of divine love and human experience, completing the cycle of spiritual renewal.
The poem concludes by explaining how sacrifice is needed to allow an individual to die into life and be reborn, and that salvation should be the goal of humankind.
[5] Like the other poems making up the Four Quartets, Little Gidding deals with the past, present, and future, and humanity's place within them as each generation is seemingly united.
[14] Eliot, in a letter to John Hayward dated 27 August 1942, explained why he changed the wording: I think you will recognise that it was necessary to get rid of Brunetto for two reasons.
[15]The theme of swimming through flames is connected to the depiction of Guido Guinizelli, a poet who influenced Dante, seeking such a state in Purgatorio XXVI.
The critic Dominic Manganiello suggests that, in combining the image of dancing with purgation, Eliot merges Dante's and Yeats's poetic themes.
[19] Eliot included other literary sources in the poem: Stéphane Mallarmé, W. B. Yeats, Jonathan Swift, Arnaut Daniel, Nijinsky's dancing in Le Spectre de la Rose, and Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Religious images were used to connect the poem to the writings of Julian of Norwich, to the life and death of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, to William Laud, to Charles I, and to John Milton.
[20] Many commentators have pointed out the influence of George Herbert in the poem, but Eliot, in a letter to Anne Ridler dated 10 March 1941, stated that he was trying to avoid such connections in Little Gidding.
[22] F. B. Pinion believed that the fourth section of the poem caused "Eliot more trouble and vexation than any passage of the same length he ever wrote, and is his greatest achievement in the Four Quartets.
