THE POETIC FUNCTION AND MODIFICATION OF ANTIQUE IMAGES IN “THE WASTE LAND” BY T. S. ELIOT

Abstract

 This article is devoted to the study of the use, as well as the artistic, philosophical, and socio-psychological significance of antique and mythological images in The Waste Land by Thomas Stearns Eliot, one of the most prominent representatives of twentieth-century modernist literature. The research analyzes both the classical roles and the modern reinterpretations of figures from Greek and Roman mythology appearing in the poem, such as the Cumaean Sibyl, Tiresias, and Philomela. The article also explores the devaluation of antique images in a modern society undergoing a deep spiritual crisis and explains why this poem remains highly relevant for contemporary readers.