This is the first of T.S. Eliot’s Christian poems. It was published in August 1927, two months after his baptism and confirmation and about the time of his declaration – in the “Preface” to the collection of essays
For Lancelot Andrewes(1928) – that his religious position was that of an Anglo-Catholic (that is, an Anglican of markedly “High Church” faith and practice). As the poem’s title indicates, it has as its principal metaphor one of the recurring motifs of Eliot’s verse: the journey, quest or pilgrimage, which we encounter as often in his pre-Christian poetry (such as “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and
The Waste Land) as in the later work. Indeed, “Journey of the Magi” reflects some of the preoccupations (and even aspects of the negative persuasion)…
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Citation: Spurr, Barry. "Journey of the Magi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=465, accessed 26 November 2024.]
