Eliot's Five Foot Shelf

Eliot's Five Foot Shelf refers to T.S. Eliot's curated collection of significant literary works he considered essential reading for a serious reader. It's imagined as a five-foot-long bookshelf containing classics that span various genres and periods, representing works he believed shape a foundational knowledge of literature. While not a formal list, it highlights texts like Dante’s Divine Comedy, Homer’s Iliad, and Shakespeare's plays, emphasizing the importance of reading influential texts to deepen understanding of language, culture, and human experience. It serves as a guide for those seeking a comprehensive literary education.