How are the TS Eliot poems 'Burnt Norton', 'East Coker', 'The Dry Salvages' and 'Little Giddings' known collectively?
Burnt Norton independent work in 1941, the same year "East Coker" and "The Dry Salvages", two later poems of the "Four Quartets", were published. The actual Burnt Norton is a manor located near the village of Aston Subedge in Gloucestershire that Eliot visited with Emily Hale during 1934. The original Norton House was a mansion burned down in 1741 by its owner, Sir William Keyt, who died in the fire. Even though Eliot was married, he spent a lot of time with Hale and might possibly have become involved with her had he not been married. Even after their time at Burnt
The Dry Salvages and experience found in "East Coker", this image reinforces the need to look at the whole of life and try to see things beyond the limitations of time. Men are supposed to progress, but they aren't supposed to focus on what they can gain in the future. The prayer to the Virgin Mary is intended to help guide the journey which would end with understanding eternity and the Annunciation. It is Mary who will guide the metaphorical sailors to their proper harbour. While connecting back to his earlier works, Eliot also connects back to his family's past; the "Dry Salvages"