Teaching The Waste Land: A Pedagogical Approach
This paper investigates teaching The Waste Land to both undergraduate and graduate students at Andong National University in Korea from personal and pedagogical perspectives. First of all, the correct translation of the original text into Korean Language is very crucial in the appreciation of T. S. Eliot’s modernist masterpiece. Incorrectly translated words or phrases by several prominent translators are noted and the correct or more appropriate translations are thoroughly indicated. The poem’s theme that immoral sexuality is death is explored mainly by biographical and mythological-archetypal criticism. In addition to the Tarot cards, quite a lot of pictures I took in such places as London, Kew, Starnbergersee, Hofgarten, Lac Léman, Vienna, etc mentioned in The Waste Land are used to enhance the pedagogical effect. Furthermore, my blog entitled “Flowers, Nature, Travel, and Poetry” (http://blog.paran.com/blueskyflowers) in Korean and the cassette tape, video and DVD containing T. S. Eliot’s voice and vision are also strongly recommended for this purpose.