Explore polyphony in ‘A Game of Chess’ in T. S. Eliot’s 'The Waste Land'

When deciding how to approach this question, it is important to adopt a sensitive approach to the duplicity of the meaning of ‘polyphony’. Polyphony can simply refer to a multiplicity of narrative voices, but it can also denote mimicry or ventriloquism. Eliot’s representation of the opposing voices of the upper-class neurotic female and the working-class pub women in ‘A Game of Chess’ explores polyphony in both these ways. What are the implications of the statement Eliot is making (consciously or otherwise), about class? Do you perceive his presentation of the pub conversation as a realistic and objective presentation of the working class, or does it border on mimicry? Daniel Craig has suggested that through rendering the pub women so ‘utterly sour and unlovely’, Eliot hints at ‘his own superior qualities.’ (Craig). Do you agree? Can Eliot’s representation of the neurotic’s voice also be considered mimicry?F. R. Leavis has suggested ‘the unity the poem aims at is that of an inclusive consciousness’ (Leavis). Whilst Eliot contrasts the voices of women from different classes, he also subtly subverts the reader’s expectations by suggesting there is more similarity between them than first anticipated. Despite living in seemingly separate spheres, Lil and the neurotic both experience a sense of disconnection from their partners. Thus, Leavis’ point is arguably valid; Eliot utilizes polyphony as a vehicle for demonstrating that we are connected through our disconnection, regardless of social class.