I found it very interesting when the film mentioned that many of the themes and devices in The Waste Land were the "fasionable concerns" of the day. I suppose I had in some way disconnected Eliot from the world of pop culture with his pursuit of Modernism, though now that idea seems quite absurd under examination. Putting The Waste Land within the context of the literary and pop culture of the period seems to take away a good deal of the intimidation that the many fragments present. Understanding what was being discussed and celebrated among the intellegensia provides somewhat of a framework for grasping where this magnificent work originated and, at least for me, better equips me to "connect the dots" if you will and see the poem's major concerns. To point to one spot where illumination was provided to me through this would be the lines on page 127-130 in Section II --- they're lyrics from a jazz song! And also, seeing the device of song lyrics used here had led me to examine other lines which had previously seemed pointless, wondering if some of the nonsense syllables might be echoing the sound of scat in jazz -- the improvisational speaking of a rhythm -- making the connection now that jazz was a significant phenomenon just beginning to emerge, evolve and be explored during this time period.
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