Source
The poetic aspects of the poem are grounded in, according to Eliot, the tradition of John Cleveland, Edward Benlowes, William Blake, and William Butler Yeats's early work. Additionally, many of the images are connected to the poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé. In terms of theology, Eliot is orthodox in his theory and relies primarily on the writings of St Augustine. There are some additional influences from the works of Thomas Browne and Saint John of the Cross. In applying these views upon society, Eliot was heavily influenced by the writings of Christopher Dawson and Dawson's reliance on understanding God as the first step to a better society.
Besides the many literary sources, Eliot also draws on his personal feelings and experience, especially on the great stress that he felt while composing the poem. Similarly, Eliot used the image of pilgrims coming to America and the stories of them that were common throughout his childhood. In particular, his mother wrote poems about the pilgrims arriving to New England, and Eliot found information related to his family's history in a book called Sketch of the Eliot Family. The location, East Coker, was where Andrew Eliott, T. S. Eliot's ancestor, left when joining the pilgrimage.
Read more about this topic: East Coker (poem)
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