From the desolation of a sterile Waste Land populated by straw men, Eliot's dramas increasingly portray a world of great meaning and hope. His early dramas portray a hostile and insensible world which must be fought and completely rejected by religious persons who are called to martyrdom and sainthood. Eliot's acceptance of the material world and comfort with its society brings a steady transformation of his spiritual vision when at the end of his dramas the world is one of common people who strive to find meaning and \"make the best of a bad job,\" illumined by a vision of love. Especially this is seen when the rigidly drawn world forces gradually relax into common people open to change and amelioration of the human predicament, not dulled and insensible to any high destiny. A world in early plays described as \"waste and void\" becomes a \"brave new world\" in the last drama, The Elder Statesman, which most resembles the last Shakesperian world view of The Tempest with its emphasis on perfected love between men. The beneficial change in man's life and the strength of the bond of love displayed increasingly throughout the dramas portray in secular terms Eliot's evolving vision of the Church.
","abstract_html":"<p>From the desolation of a sterile Waste Land populated by straw men, Eliot's dramas increasingly portray a world of great meaning and hope. His early dramas portray a hostile and insensible world which must be fought and completely rejected by religious persons who are called to martyrdom and sainthood. Eliot's acceptance of the material world and comfort with its society brings a steady transformation of his spiritual vision when at the end of his dramas the world is one of common people who strive to find meaning and "make the best of a bad job," illumined by a vision of love. Especially this is seen when the rigidly drawn world forces gradually relax into common people open to change and amelioration of the human predicament, not dulled and insensible to any high destiny. A world in early plays described as "waste and void" becomes a "brave new world" in the last drama, The Elder Statesman, which most resembles the last Shakesperian world view of The Tempest with its emphasis on perfected love between men. The beneficial change in man's life and the strength of the bond of love displayed increasingly throughout the dramas portray in secular terms Eliot's evolving vision of the Church.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dunn, Rebecca Ellen"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"English Literature","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Donald Cummings","Frank M. Collins","Karl E. Zink"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1970,"date_issued":"1970-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1970-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:37:48Z","subjects":["English literature","T.S. Eliot","literary analysis","American Literature","Christianity","Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory","English Language and Literature","Literature in English, British Isles","Literature in English, North America"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1398","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Donald Cummings","Frank M. Collins","Karl E. Zink"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Dunn, Rebecca Ellen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-09-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Literature"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["English literature","T.S. Eliot","literary analysis","American Literature","Christianity","Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory","English Language and Literature","Literature in English, British Isles","Literature in English, North America"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1398"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["From the desolation of a sterile Waste Land populated by straw men, Eliot's dramas increasingly portray a world of great meaning and hope. His early dramas portray a hostile and insensible world which must be fought and completely rejected by religious persons who are called to martyrdom and sainthood. Eliot's acceptance of the material world and comfort with its society brings a steady transformation of his spiritual vision when at the end of his dramas the world is one of common people who strive to find meaning and \"make the best of a bad job,\" illumined by a vision of love. Especially this is seen when the rigidly drawn world forces gradually relax into common people open to change and amelioration of the human predicament, not dulled and insensible to any high destiny. A world in early plays described as \"waste and void\" becomes a \"brave new world\" in the last drama, The Elder Statesman, which most resembles the last Shakesperian world view of The Tempest with its emphasis on perfected love between men. The beneficial change in man's life and the strength of the bond of love displayed increasingly throughout the dramas portray in secular terms Eliot's evolving vision of the Church.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Church in the Dramas of T. S. Eliot"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Donald Cummings","Frank M. Collins","Karl E. Zink"],"dc:creator":["Dunn, Rebecca Ellen"],"dc:date.available":["2020-09-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["From the desolation of a sterile Waste Land populated by straw men, Eliot's dramas increasingly portray a world of great meaning and hope. His early dramas portray a hostile and insensible world which must be fought and completely rejected by religious persons who are called to martyrdom and sainthood. Eliot's acceptance of the material world and comfort with its society brings a steady transformation of his spiritual vision when at the end of his dramas the world is one of common people who strive to find meaning and \"make the best of a bad job,\" illumined by a vision of love. Especially this is seen when the rigidly drawn world forces gradually relax into common people open to change and amelioration of the human predicament, not dulled and insensible to any high destiny. A world in early plays described as \"waste and void\" becomes a \"brave new world\" in the last drama, The Elder Statesman, which most resembles the last Shakesperian world view of The Tempest with its emphasis on perfected love between men. The beneficial change in man's life and the strength of the bond of love displayed increasingly throughout the dramas portray in secular terms Eliot's evolving vision of the Church.
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