Journal of Maritime Literature and Culture
JMLC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.9-25.
Print ISSN: 3107-1821; Online ISSN: 3107-183X
Journal homepage: https://www.mlcjournal.com
DOI： https://doi.org/10.64058/JMLC.26.1.02
“What seas what shores”: A Geocritical Approach to T. S. Eliot’s “Marina” and Shakespeare’s Pericles
William Baker, Cheng Wen
Abstract: T. S. Eliot’s critically neglected poem “Marina” is among his finest, most beautiful, and personal works. Beyond conveying the poem’s magnificent sonorous qualities, a critical examination demonstrates Eliot’s profound indebtedness to Shakespeare’s collaborative, largely ignored, but fascinating late “romance” Pericles, Prince of Tyre. By isolating the poem’s geocritical setting—the sea—the use of locale can be analyzed from both intertextual and biographical perspectives. An exploration of the “crisscross” between Seneca’s Hercules Furens and Shakespeare’s Pericles, alongside Eliot’s personal experiences off the coast of Cape Ann, establishes “Marina” as a complex dramatic monologue exploring paternity, memory, and spiritual recognition.
Keywords: T. S. Eliot; “Marina”; William Shakespeare; Pericles; geocriticism, intertextuality; maritime literature
Author Biographies: William Baker is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Northern Illinois University. Research Area: British and American Literature. E-mail: wbaker@niu.edu. Cheng Wen (corresponding author) is Associate Professor of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ningbo University. Research Area: British and American Literature. E-mail: chengwen@nbu.edu.cn.
题目：“何处海与岸”：T. S. 艾略特《玛丽娜》与威廉·莎士比亚《佩里克里斯》的地理批评解读
摘要：基于地理批评、跨文本互文与传记考证等多重维度，T. S.艾略特的诗作《玛丽娜》（“Marina”）的海洋空间设定被视为现代主义主体逃离内陆压抑、寻求精神避难所的核心场域。在互文层面上，这首诗通过与莎士比亚晚期传奇剧《佩里克里斯》以及塞内加悲剧《疯狂的赫拉克勒斯》的巧妙交叉（crisscross），在生与死的对立中重塑了关于父性、记忆与精神认同的文学母题。结合对破败船只意象与航海句法的细读，物质性的船舶残骸成为现代人躯体朽坏与向往灵魂救赎的深刻隐喻。此外，通过引入艾略特致艾米丽·海尔（Emily Hale）的解密书信等传记档案，该诗复杂的内在情感逻辑得以清晰重现：诗人将1930年遭遇的婚姻破裂、宗教皈依等个人精神危机，以及与精神伴侣重逢的隐秘渴望，深刻投射于戏剧化的海洋相认场景之中。《玛丽娜》作为极具张力的戏剧独白，不仅实现了个人记忆的超越与想象的现实化，更确立了在未知精神水域中的终极安息与和解。
关键词：T. S. 艾略特；《玛丽娜》；威廉·莎士比亚；《佩里克里斯》；地理批评；互文性；海洋文学
作者简介：威廉·贝克是北伊利诺伊大学杰出荣休教授，研究方向：英美文学。电子邮箱：wbaker@niu.edu。程文（通讯作者）是宁波大学外语学院副教授，研究方向：英美文学。电子邮箱：chengwen@nbu.edu.cn。
Received: 1 Feb 2026 / Revised: 21 Feb 2026 / Accepted: 1 Mar 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
