With which European cities could one relate the 'unreal city' of the poem, and why? (MEG 102) (T.S. ELIOT: THE WASTE LAND)

In "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, the phrase "unreal city" appears in the first section of the poem, setting the tone for the bleak and fragmented vision of modernity that follows. While the poem does not specify which city Eliot had in mind, scholars and critics have suggested several European cities that could be seen as embodying the sense of disillusionment and decay that is expressed in the poem. Here are a few possibilities:

London: As Eliot's adopted home and the center of British colonial power, London is a likely candidate for the "unreal city" of the poem. The city is described in the poem as a "heap of broken images" and a place where "the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief."

Paris: As the capital of the artistic and intellectual avant-garde, Paris is another possibility for the "unreal city" of the poem. The city is associated with the fragmentation and disillusionment of modernist culture, and Eliot himself spent time in Paris during his formative years as a writer.

Vienna: As a center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the birthplace of psychoanalysis, Vienna could also be seen as a possible inspiration for the "unreal city" of the poem. The city is associated with the decadence and decay of the Habsburg dynasty, as well as the psychological theories of Freud and his followers.

Ultimately, the identity of the "unreal city" in "The Waste Land" is left open to interpretation, and may be seen as a symbol of the disillusionment and fragmentation that characterized modern society as a whole.