ECHOES OF THE GRAIL: THE ROLE OF THE FISHER KING MYTH IN ELIOT’S “THE WASTE LAND”

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 427 - 455, 28.03.2025

Hristo Dimitrov

Abstract

The article explores parallels between Troyes’ unfinished “Perceval, the Story of the Story of the Grail” and Eliot’s “The Waste Land.” The research begins with an overview of Perceval’s encounter with the Fisher King, as well as his sighting of the Grail, as presented in Troyes’ narrative. The article provides a detailed commentary on the significance of the “man with three staves” (Eliot, “The Waste Land”) and illustrates how this tarot card can be interpreted in relation to the Fisher King. A proposition is made that this association is not misleading, as are many others from Eliot’s endnotes, but is a valid representation of the Fisher King. A detailed examination of both the land of the Fisher King, as well as of the wasteland, depicted in Eliot’s poem, is also conducted in parallel. The examination sheds light on some hitherto insufficiently explored correspondences between the two lands which highlights not only their visual comparability, but also their symbolic likeness. The article also shows how certain moments and elements from Perceval’s account like: Perceval’s failure to inquire about the Grail, the visual description of the Grail as well as Its symbolic weight, and Perceval’s bewilderment when faced with the Grail have all been integrated within the framework of Eliot’s poem. The present study also provides insight into the modern dimension of these allusions. А proposition is made in relation to the possibility of viewing the devastated lands of the Fisher King as comparable to the devastated lands of Europe as a result of war. In turn, Perceval’s silence is interpreted as the disillusionment of the post-war world from spirituality and God as a result of the tragedy of the war. The article also devotes considerable attention to the polyphony in Eliot’s poem, which problematizes the resonance of Perceval’s voice, as well as of the echoes which proceed from his discourse, within the poem. An attempt is made not only to rationalize these voices in parallel with Perceval's voice, but also to show how Perceval’s voice stands out against the polyphony that is deliberately created in the poem. Against the backdrop of the utter fragmentation and the lack of overarching narrative which is created in Eliot’s poem, a proposition is made that it is Perceval’s narrative, as well as his quest, that appear as unifying to the wastelanders. This unification is achieved through a myth, in particular a religious myth, which provides a potential solution for not only the problem of the disillusioned wastelanders, but also for their devastated land.

Keywords

T.S. Eliot, Modernism, The Waste Land, Poetry, Chrétien de Troyes, Grail, Fisher King, Perceval.

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