Eliot's "The Wasteland" a modernist text?

Poetic as it may be, this was a difficult read. It was extremely complicated and hard to understand. I tried to read it for the poetry that it is but found myself dumbfounded by all that is mentioned. It is like reading a history book with all these names to look up. I couldn't really take note of what was modern about it.

There were a lot of religious references and that threw me off a bit. I would say that in comparrison to his modernist counterparts, Eliot is far more complex and is almost bizzare in a way. I love to read poetry but his poetry was almost torturous. It was like enduring a torture chamber that was mangling my mind(instead of my body). This book should be thrown across the floor several times during the coarse of a sitdown read. It is so confusing. I SEEK CLARITY!

In all, the rhyme scheme to most of the poems kept me engaged. I am still not sure about the content but I know I am not fond of the style. As great of a writer as Eliot is, why can't he just be real and upfront about what he is trying to say istead of hiding it in the midst of hidden incentives. Color coding things bothers me and that is exactly what this text did to me.

Forgive me for not addressing the question really but the content of Eliot's "The Wasteland" has left me oblivious to the cause. I am in need of clarity.