The Ruins of Meaning

Ideas of the 20th Century Season 1 Episode 6

Overview:
In lecture six, we explore the profound impact of World War I on Western intellectual thought through the poetry of W. B. Yeats and T. S. Eliot, examining how both poets grappled with the collapse of traditional values and the search for meaning in a fractured civilization. We analyze Yeats's cyclical view of history in "The Second Coming" and his quest for spiritual permanence in "Sailing to Byzantium," alongside Eliot's fragmented vision in "The Waste Land," which depicts a spiritually barren modern world. The lecture concludes by highlighting how both poets, despite their different approaches, ultimately argue that life requires connection to something eternal or larger than oneself to have meaning.

Genre : Documentary, Talk, War & Politics

Actors : Dr. Daniel Bonevac

Release Date : 2026-03-19

Duration : 64 menit

Rating : ⭐ 0/10 (0 votes)

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Other Episodes (Season 1)

A Mighty Maze
1. A Mighty Maze
The Abdication of Belief
2. The Abdication of Belief
Wisdom of the Age
3. Wisdom of the Age
Disturb the Universe
4. Disturb the Universe
Downward to Darkness
5. Downward to Darkness
The Ruins of Meaning
6. The Ruins of Meaning
As an Endless Dream
7. As an Endless Dream
Unfathomable Reservoirs of the Absurd
8. Unfathomable Reservoirs of the Absurd


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