T.S. Eliot - Four Quartets

thursdays 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 march 2012

Professor Christopher Wortham, St George's Cathedral Scholar

“We shall not cease from exploration”: a series of five reflections for Lent, on T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets as a journey of the human spirit.

Week 1 Four Quartets

The shaping presence of the poet: a general introduction to the structure and themes of the group of four linked poems gathered together as Four Quartets, reflecting upon the progress of the poet's spiritual experience through war-torn decades of the twentieth century.

After the first week, one week is devoted to each of the four poems. The starting point of each subsequent reflection is taken from the first part of the relevant poem, but it should be noted that each poem ranges far more widely than the topic might seem to imply.

Week 2 Burnt Norton

The element of air in the season of autumn: sound and silence.

Week 3 East Coker

The source of the Eliot lineage revisited in earthy summer: the past in the present.

Week 4 The Dry Salvages

Returning to America: the power of water in springtime.

Week 5 Little Gidding

Midwinter fire on ice: towards prayer and enlightenment.

This course runs each Thursday evening throughout March. Please bring a copy of Eliot's Four Quartets along. Copies will be available for purchase on the first night if required.

To book tickets, telephone the UWA Extension on 6488 2433 or book online here.

Time: 7.30pm.

Venue: The Cathedral.  For location and parking information, please click here.