Jiuye Poets' reception of T. S.!Eliot:: A probe into the historical context

Jiuye Poets were greatly influenced by T. S. Eliot both in literary theory and practice. This paper attempts to probe into the historical context of such important literary exchange. It focuses on the historical origin, means of Eliot's influence and the historical context set up by the development of Chinese literature. This paper points out that Xinyue Poets and the "Modern School" did a lot of work in introduction to and translation of T. S. Eliot. Poets of the "Modern School", such as Bian Zhilin and modern English poet and critic W. Empson, directly taught Jiuye Poets western modernist poems. In addition, the development of Chinese free verse in 1940s' also contributed to the historical context of Jiuye Poets' reception of T. S. Eliot.