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Modernism as a literary trend and the modernist poetry particularly are considered to have emerged in the very beginning of the 20th century. It was symbolized by the appearance of the Imagist group of poets. These were people who opposed to the excesses which were characteristic of the Victorian poetry. They denied its emphasis on traditional formalism and excessively flowery diction (Jones, 35). In general, modernists and modernistic writers in particular were looking back to the best practices of the poets of earlier periods and even of other cultures, such as the literature of ancient Greece, Chinese and Japanese poetry, the art of troubadours and medieval poets. Most of the early works of the modernistic poets are short and compact lyrics. In the course of time the works became more prolong. This is considered to be the main contribution of the modernistic poets to the poetry of the 20th century.
Being actually the innovators of the modernistic poetry of the 20th century, Imagists declared the main principles of their poetry. These principles became the characteristic features of all the modern poetry of the 20th century. The main characteristic features of the modernistic poetry include the direct treatment of any “thing” either subjective or objective; words that do not contribute to the presentation should not be used; rhythm was used to compose the musical form, but not to serve as a metronome; the subject-matter of a verse should be completely free, with no restrictions; free verse was highly appreciated; exact words should be used and common speech was not prohibited. These criteria set by the Imagist could of course vary as the time changed, however their essence did not change completely. The sharp language and extremely rich imagery were the features inherent to almost all poems of the 20th century. So, the works of Imagists had a revolutionary impact on the development of the whole modernistic literature and poetry.
The World War I was in a way a catalyst that turned many poets to modernism. There appeared many poets who wanted to express their grief, their sorrow and their feelings about the great world tragedy through verse. The most famous modernistic work that arose from the post war disillusionment was the epic “The Waste Land” by T. S. Eliot, an American modernistic poet who spent a great part of his life in England.
Thomas Elliot was born in the USA in 1888. His father was a prominent industrialist. The family had to move from New England and the future poet always felt distressed by that fact. Throughout his life he sought to return to the country he belonged to with all his heart. Though he tried to return to the country which liked very much, the World War I made it rather difficult for the poet. On the other hand the war led the poet to the decision to dedicate his entire life to poetry.
Another fact that turned T. Elliot’s attention to modernistic poetry was his friend, mentor and editor Ezra Pound who was also one of the most prominent Imagist poets. It was also Pound who edited the famous “The Waste Land” by T. Elliot in 1921 (Kenner 86). What is especially important about this poem in regards to modernistic poetry of the 20th century is that it addressed the characteristic features of modern culture. Thus, these fragments contributed to the creation of a new type of poetry, which was later called modernistic.

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It was also the period when Thomas Elliot paid his attention to criticism as it was the only way for him to express his own methods used in his poetry. From that time Eliot became an outstanding figure in the literary world of the 20th century. His popularity and influence on other not so famous poets was so strong, that many other poets decided not to dedicate their life to poetry in order not to spend their life in the shadow of the great master of word. Besides, many poets made their primary task not to make their style similar the Elliot’s in order not to look too colorless comparing with him.
Being young Thomas Elliot chose his teachers of poetry to be the French symbolists, such as Rimbaud, Mallarme, Baudelaire, Laforgue. They influenced the style of the young poet. He took from them the ability to saturate his poetry with high intellectualism, make the language sensuousness. Besides he developed his own new and original techniques that are found in such early works as “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and “The Waste Land”. His idea was to depict a modern world that lied in ruins, but nevertheless had something beautiful and meaningful in it. Elliot did not give his ideas explicitly. He used the modernistic techniques of pastiche and juxtaposition to make the reader understand his ideas on his own. Besides Eliot’s great teacher Ezra Pound once stated that Thomas Eliot elaborated the characters that actually fit the modernistic type of characters elaborated by Fitzgerald, Faulkner and other modernistic writers (SparkNotes Editors). The main character of “Prufrock” is a very good example, as he is the personification of solitary, intellectual, neurasthenic person who cannot express himself to the outside world.
However the character of the poetry of Thomas Eliot changed, as he grew older and converted to Christianity. His poetry acquired new features. Thus, for instance, his poems became abundant of allusions and reminiscences. Besides, they became more hopeful, if to consider the tone of his poems. Thus, such work as “Four Quarters” offers some propositions, instead of complete nihilism. It also explores some philosophical issues, such as the issues of experience, morality, time and art. The author did not seek the truth in the past, merely lamenting of something that cannot be changed, but he turned his attention to art and spiritualism. Philosophy and logic are the main features of his later works, while the words and their physical and spiritual properties create dramatic, musical and subtle effects.
No doubt, the style of the poetry of Thomas Eliot underwent significant transformations in the course of time. On the other hand, his poems still resemble each other. There are a lot of unifying aspects of Eliot’s poetry. Eliot subconsciously expressed the desire to bring together the aesthetic, intellectual and the emotional sides of a poem. Thus he could honor the past and acknowledge the present. Being conscious of these intentions, Thomas Eliot very often commented on his efforts to achieve these points in his poetry. Such feature as humility makes Thomas Eliot one of the most successive and intellectually satisfying modernist poets of the 20th century.
The major themes of the Eliot’s poetry also respond to those of the modernistic poetry. Among them are the damaged psyche of humanity, the power of literary history, the changing nature of gender roles.
Thomas Eliot wanted his works to express the fragility of the psychological state of humanity of the 20th century. Many pre-war poets sincerely believed that they were capable of changing the surrounding world through their poetry. However the passing of the ideals of the Victorian era and the tragedy of the World War I challenged various cultural notions of masculine identity. As a result artists of word began to question the literary romantic ideal. Modern writers and poets wanted to capture the world they transformed in their imagination, while they perceived the outside world as cruel, unfair and mean to them. The general crisis of masculinity was observed; many people struggled for their place in the altered society. Eliot comprehended the source of the processes in the society. He expressed his feelings in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (1917). The collective psyche of humanity was damaged and people could not communicate with each other. These ideas were also expressed in the poem “A Game of Chess” and “The Hollow Men.”