Eliot published the first of the Four Quartets, “Burnt Norton,” in 1936. After that, he wrote a play, The Family Reunion, which opened in March 1939 in London but was not a success at the time. During the late 1930s, Eliot wondered whether he would ever write poetry again. He would sooner write another play, but the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 meant that there would be neither opportunity nor audience for a new play in the foreseeable future. With that in mind, he turned back to poetry and began “East Coker,” following the model and style he had adopted in “Burnt Norton.” He had visited East Coker, a village in Somerset, England, in 1936. His ancestors had lived there from the mid-15th century until Andrew Eliot and his family sailed for America in 1671.

During this time, Eliot was pessimistic about the state of Western society. He was dismayed by the Munich pact of September 1938, signed by Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France. British prime minister Neville Chamberlain believed that the pact would avert war, but it turned out to be useless in curtailing Adolf Hitler’s aggressive designs.