T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” represents modernist poetry through several key features:

1. Fragmentation: The poem’s structure is highly fragmented, with abrupt shifts in voice, setting, and time, reflecting the chaotic and disjointed nature of the modern world.
2. Allusions and Intertextuality: “The Waste Land” is rich in literary, religious, and cultural allusions, drawing from sources like the Bible, Shakespeare, and Eastern texts. This creates a complex, layered text that challenges readers to engage deeply with its references.
3. Themes of Disillusionment: The poem captures the disillusionment and despair of the post-World War I era, exploring the cultural decay, spiritual emptiness, and loss of meaning in the modern world.
4. Use of Myth: Eliot uses myth and ritual, such as the Grail legend and fertility rites, to provide structure to the fragmented narrative, a technique common in modernist literature.
5. Innovative Form: The poem’s non-linear, five-section structure abandons traditional narrative techniques, showcasing modernist experimentation with form and style.
6. Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Incorporating multiple languages and cultural references, the poem reflects the modernist interest in global experiences and the fragmented nature of communication.
7. Free Verse: “The Waste Land” uses free verse, breaking away from traditional poetic forms and embracing a more fluid, open structure, characteristic of modernist poetry.

Eliot’s work exemplifies the modernist movement by challenging traditional forms and exploring the complexities of the modern condition.