The Influence of the French Symbolists on the Poetry and literary Criticism of T.S. Eliot

T.S Eliot’s poetry and literary criticism was impacted by the poetic tradition of the French Symbolists and this paper will explore some of the ways in which this tradition is formative on his poetry and his literary criticism. It will argue that T.S Eliot found his own poetic voice through utilising the poetic methods of the French Symbolists, in the use of evocative symbols and imagery, his attitude to meaning in poetry, and the association of poetry with music.