TS Eliot的长诗《荒原》问世于1922年被视作20世纪西方诗歌的划时代之作。而作为贯穿整个20世纪的哲学思潮存在主义对文学的影响不可小觑。《荒原》与存在主义诞生于同一时代作者在诗中着眼于现代人信仰崩塌过后的精神空虚通过对死亡、时间、荒诞等哲学概念的探讨为精神世界的重建寻求可能而这正与存在主义的主要观点相契合。因此《荒原》可以看作是艾略特探索存在主义的一大尝试。本论文旨在从存在主义视角对《荒原

T.S. Eliot's long poem "The Waste Land" was published in 1922 and is regarded as a groundbreaking work of 20th century Western poetry. Meanwhile, existentialism, as a philosophical trend that pervaded the entire century, exerted a significant influence on literature. "The Waste Land" was written in the same era when existentialism emerged, and the author focused on the spiritual emptiness that followed the collapse of modern faith. By exploring philosophical concepts such as death, time, and absurdity, Eliot sought to rebuild the spiritual world, which coincided with the main tenets of existentialism. Therefore, "The Waste Land" can be seen as Eliot's attempt to explore existentialism.

This paper aims to analyze "The Waste Land" from an existentialist perspective, exploring the philosophical value and profound significance it contains. The paper will focus on analyzing important philosophical concepts, such as "living towards death" and "temporality," as well as how the author employs paradox to illustrate absurdity and how he seeks meaning in an absurd world. Additionally, the paper will explore the value and significance of existentialist thought embodied in "The Waste Land," emphasizing its influence on modern literature and its potential to stimulate deep thought among readers