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Poem

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Meet The Author

T. S. Eliot

(1888–1965)

Always well-spoken and somberly attired, Thomas Stearns Eliot was outwardly the model of convention. His work, in contrast, was revolutionary in both form and content.

Beginnings Born into a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri, Eliot grew up in an environment that promoted his intellectual development. He attended Harvard University, where he published a number of poems in The Harvard Advocate, the school’s literary magazine. In 1910, the year Eliot received his master’s degree in philosophy, he completed “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”

A Literary Sensation Just before the outbreak of World War I, Eliot moved to England. In 1915, he married Vivien Haigh-Wood, a deeply troubled young woman with whom he had a tumultuous relationship. During this period, he also became acquainted with Ezra Pound, another young American poet. Pound urged Harriet Monroe, the editor of Poetry magazine, to publish “Prufrock,” thus making Eliot’s work available to the public for the first time. Shortly thereafter, Eliot published a collection titled Prufrock and Other Observations (1917), which caused a sensation in the literary world. Eliot had used techniques, such as an intentionally fragmented structure, that were utterly new. Focusing on the frustration and despair of modern urban life, the poems in Eliot’s first book also set the tone for the other poems he would write during the early stages of his career. These early poems alone earned Eliot a lasting place among the finest writers of the twentieth century.

Facing a New World Eliot made his literary mark against the backdrop of a rapidly changing society. Telephones, radios, automobiles—all were transforming life at an unprecedented pace in the early decades of the twentieth century. Uncertain and disillusioned with the values and ideologies that had produced the devastation of World War I, many people were searching for new ideas and values. Eliot was among a group of such writers and visual artists who called themselves Modernists. Modernist poets sought a break with the literary traditions of the past. They believed that poetry had to reflect the genuine, fractured experience of life in the twentieth century, not a romanticized idea of what life was once like. Eliot’s exploration of the uncertainty of modern life struck a chord among readers, who were stunned by his revolutionary poetic imagery.

In 1922, Eliot published The Waste Land, his most celebrated work. Although Eliot himself once dismissed The Waste Land as “a piece of rhythmical grumbling,” most readers saw it as a profound critique of the spiritual barrenness of the modern world. The poem is filled with allusions to classical and world literature and to Eastern culture and religion. It was widely read and had an enormous impact on writers and critics. The Waste Land is still considered one of the finest works ever written.

A Return to Tradition In his search for something beyond the “waste land” of modern society, Eliot became a member of the Church of England in 1927. He began to explore religious themes in poems such as “Ash Wednesday” (1930) and Four Quartets (1943)—works that suggest that he believed religion could heal the wounds inflicted by society. In later years, he wrote several plays, including Murder in the Cathedral (1935) and The Cocktail Party (1949), as well as a sizable body of literary criticism. In 1948, Eliot received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

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Preview

Connecting to the Literature

You may be able to remember occasions when you have wished you had a different personality. Maybe you would have preferred to be more outgoing or more assertive—the type of person who makes things happen. The character of J. Alfred Prufrock speaks to this feeling in all of us.

Literary Analysis

Dramatic Monologue

A troubled J. Alfred Prufrock invites an unidentified companion—perhaps a part of his own personality—to walk with him as he reflects aloud about his bitter realization that life and love are passing him by. Prufrock’s so-called love song is a dramatic monologue —a poem or speech in which a character addresses a silent listener. As you read this dramatic monologue, use a chart like the one shown to record Prufrock’s observations about life, details of his personality, and internal conflicts.

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Connecting Literary Elements

Just as you might refer to a movie you once saw or a book you once read, Prufrock refers to people and historical or literary events that hold meaning for him. For example, in this passage, he alludes to Shakespeare:

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;

Am an attendant lord, one that will do

To swell a progress, start a scene or two . . .

These references, or allusions, form a literary shorthand that paints a picture of Prufrock and his culture. As you read, use footnotes and guided reading questions to help you understand these allusions.

Reading Strategy

Listening

This poem contains some of the most famous and haunting passages in literature. One of the reasons the poem affects readers so intensely is its musicality—the sweep and fall of the lines, the repetition and rhyme, and the sounds of the words. To fully appreciate the poem, you must listen to it. Try reading the poem aloud, paying attention to the rhythms and repetitions. Consider how the musicality of the poem contributes to its mood and meaning.

Vocabulary Builder

• insidious adj. secretly treacherous

• digress v. depart temporarily from the main subject

• malingers v. pretends to be ill

• meticulous adj. extremely careful about details

• obtuse adj. slow to understand or perceive

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