May Sinclair’s “Prufrock and Other Observations: A Critisism” (Little review 4, no. 8, December 1918) is an article not on simply T. S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, but also how it is perceived. Sinclair attempts to argue against points that other reviewers (Mr. Waugh from the Quarterly, and an anonymous writer) negatively assert on Eliot and his work.
Mr. Waugh argues that Eliot is a “drunken Helot” and that his work strays too much from tradition - something Sinclair clearly disagrees with. She believes that “Mr. Elitos is not in any tradition at all” and that he “cuts all his corner and curves” which startles readers who are used to more classical and conventional work. This more ‘difficult’ poetry is in her eyes superior,
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Her statement that Eliot “knows what he is after, reality, stripped naked of all rhetoric, of all ornament, of all confusing and obscuring association” is an argument based around failure of logic. Eliot’s poems are filled with concealed or ambiguous references - The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock alone boasts allusion to the Bible ‘I am Lazerus, come from the dead’, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night ‘I know the voices dying with a dying fall’ and most obviously the entirety of the epigraph being an excerpt from Dante’s Inferno. The common reader would no doubt face strife trying to work these references - there is scant truth in asserting that Eliot ‘strips away confusing and obscuring …show more content…
Although as discussed earlier, Eliot does not “cut his corners” as Sinclair states, he does not pad his work down - he imagery and surroundings that he depicts in his work are raw in nature and there is no doubt that it varies from the “good old manly traditions of the Quarterly” that Mr. Waugh is accustomed to. When analysing his work (The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock in particular), this becomes obvious as the beautiful rhythm of “Let us go then, you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky” is contrasted with the stark suddenness of “Like a patient etherised upon a table”. Although this is only one example, the emotion that Eliot is trying to illustrate is evident.
Sinclair’s understanding of J. Alfred Prufrock is that Prufrock is “aware of his futility”. The text itself however, points towards the idea that Prufrock lies on an immaculately woven edge between a will to act and his frightened introspection. Prufrock himself believes that “there will be time” - he is does not think that he has no chance, only that “They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!” or “But how his arms and legs are thin!”. This facet of his character is not futility, but self consciousness and doubt for he had been thinking only on the side of his
The editors of anthologies containing T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" invariably footnote the reference to Lazarus as John 11:1-44; rarely is the reference footnoted as Luke 16:19-31. Also, the reference to John the Baptist is invariably footnoted as Matthew 14:3-11; never have I seen the reference footnoted as an allusion to Oscar Wilde's Salome. The sources that one cites can profoundly affect interpretations of the poem. I believe that a correct reading of Eliot's "Prufrock" requires that one cite Wilde, in addition to Matthew, and Luke, in addition to John, as the sources for the John the Baptist and Lazarus being referenced. Furthermore, the citation of these sources can help explain Eliot's allusion to Dante's Guido da Montefeltro.
Eliot, T.S.. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton, 1996. 2459-2463.
T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. ed. M. H. Abrams New York, London: Norton, 1993.
The central argument of this article proclaims that T.S. Eliot uses “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” as an expression of the speaker’s isolation. The ideas that Powell presents were similar to mine as I read this poem. Other readings of this poem argued that Prufrock expresses narcissism over insecurity, however, Powell and myself believe otherwise. An example of our beliefs is present in the first stanza, “Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, /Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells” Prufrock uses the words “half-deserted”, “cheap” and “sawdust.” The utilization of these words signify his low self-esteem as he deems these as the standards of places
In conclusion, after exploring the theme of this poem and reading it for myself, Eliot has created this persona, in industrialised England or somewhere else. A man of low self-esteem, you embark his journey as he struggles with a rational fear of being rejected by a woman. Which gives the reader sympathy to Prufrock, as he lives within his own personal
Prufrock’s ongoing appeal is catalysed by Eliot’s unique exploration of emotional paralysis as a conveyor of futility. The poem’s epigraph, from Dante’s Inferno, foreshadows Prufrock’s mental stagnation and suggests
Eliot, T. S. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Prufrock, and Other Observations. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1920. N. pag. Bartleby.com. Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Eliot demonstrates “that Prufrock prepares . . . [a face] . . . of feigned confidence” (McCormick, 44-5) when in the company of others which eventually leads to failing to accomplish his goals. A traditional male would be unaffected by the presence of others and remain the true man that he is. The author portrays this insecurity throughout by the use of the previously mentioned literary devices. As a result, Prufrock never asks the “overwhelming question” (Eliot, 16) and ultimately “drown[s]” (137) in his unfulfilling life. Conclusively, Eliot’s portrayal of Prufrock is a critique of contemporary
T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” tells the speaker’s story through several literary devices, allowing the reader to analyze the poem through symbolism, character qualities, and allusions that the work displays. In this way, the reader clearly sees the hopelessness and apathy that the speaker has towards his future. John Steven Childs sums it up well in saying Prufrock’s “chronic indecision blocks him from some important action” (Childs). Each literary device- symbolism, character, and allusion- supports this description. Ultimately, the premise of the poem is Prufrock second guessing himself to no end over talking to a woman, but this issue represents all forms of insecurity and inactivity.
Both Browning and Eliot seek to improve upon the nature of the dramatic monologue. Browning emphasizes structure and a separation between the poet and the character which is reiterated by Eliot’s poem. Browning’s influence on Eliot can be seen by the form and structure of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” adding working intrinsically with the theme and subject of the work. However, Eliot deviates slightly from Browning by the portrayal of his characters, and the amount of information that he is willing to share with the reader. The intended message of Browning’s poem is much more apparent than Eliot’s who creates an open ended poem that can be interpreted differently by each reader.
T.S. Eliot has been one of the most daring innovators of twentieth-century poetry. His poem“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, is different and unusual. He rejects the logic connection, thus, his poems lack logic interpretation. He himself justifies himself by saying: he wrote it to want it to be difficult. The dissociation of sensibility, on the contrary, arouses the emotion of readers immediately. This poem contains Prufrock’ s love affairs. But it is more than that. It is actually only the narration of Prufrock, a middle-aged man, and a romantic aesthete , who is bored with his meaningless life and driven to despair because he wished but
The original title of the poem was ‘Prufrock Among the Women.’ This initial title addresses the message of T.S Eliot’s poetry as it engages with both the fear of rejection and the ephemeral essence of life. The alteration J Alfred Prufrock feels incapable of making any decisive action. The dramatic monologue depicts his on-going flow of thoughts, which revolve mainly around life and death and his fear of rejection. Alternatively, it can be argued that T.S Eliot is taking us on a literal journey and letting us, the audience “go and make our visit” travelling to an unknown, yet seedy destination- a specific time and place, uncovering the inequalities within society with genuine intent rather than spouting an uninterrupted flow of thoughts and feelings, which quickly pass through his mind.
Insecure and aging, J. Alfred Prufrock finds regret in the life he has laid out for himself. T.S. Eliot wrote A Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, an intriguing, yet depression poem about a man living each day the same as the last. The journey Prufrock endeavors on serves to be a realization of the struggles in his life and the idea that he is getting old and time isn’t going to slow down for him. Filled with regret, he ponders on the dreams and accomplishments he didn’t achieve because of his lack of confidence and willingness to face his fears. He realizes he hasn’t gotten all that he wanted out of life and at first thinks he has enough time to change who he is, inside and out. The reoccurring theme throughout the poem is old-age and self-doubt. Prufrock main goal is to live a wealthy life and build a confident personality, which differentiates from the hopeless man, with little social skills, he is throughout the poem.
Since Eliot wrote the poem during the modernism era, the poem portrays the loneliness, failure, and depression of a man’s life. The poem is about a man named J. Alfred Prufrock who does not know how to talk to women because of his lack of confidence. The poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is the essence of a modern man because Prufrock is a man who feels lonely in a
The title T. S. Eliot chose for his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is ironic. Mr. Prufrock does not love anyone, nor does he believe he is loved. He has disdain for the society of which he wishes he were a part, and he believes society views him no differently. The imagery of Mr. Prufrock's thoughts provide the audience a more detailed insight into his character than had Mr. Eliot simply listed Mr. Prufrock's virtues and flaws. Mr. Prufrock is seen as an exaggeration or extreme for the sake of literary commentary, but the world has many Prufrocks in many differing degrees, and T. S. Eliot has made them a little easier to understand.