There is some truth to what Mr Schechter is saying here. That we all agree that views external to a poem should not be read into the poem or used as an excuse to reject the poem itself should not be allowed to slide into tacit approval of the views. Gerontion must be read, understood, and judged all on its own, as an independent, stand-alone object; but that doesn't somehow make Eliot's views more palatable. And a dislike of political correctness--as to which I yield not a whit to Mark--is not a justification for excusing nastiness. If I do not care for affirmative action, I am not thereby obliged to palliate racial bias.
RHE
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