The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”—the first major work of American-born British poet Thomas Stearns (T. S.) Eliot—was published in Poetry magazine in 1915. A free verse, stream-of-consciousness monologue from the perspective of an aging everyman, the poem portrays modern disillusionment with the social isolation and emptiness of the early 20th century world. Eliot’s startling, precise imagery and his juxtaposition of classical allusions with banal, everyday concerns, established him as a voice of literary modernism, setting the stage for his future canonical works, like “Preludes” (1917) and “The Waste Land” (1922).

Eliot wrote “Prufrock” in 1910-11, while studying at Harvard University and developing the philosophical underpinnings that would inform later works. After completing his studies at Harvard, he moved to England and became acquainted with other major figures of modernism, including Ezra Pound who encouraged Eliot to send out “Prufrock” for publication.

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” introduced Eliot to the literary scene, presenting ideas of modern alienation, fragmentation, and disillusionment with the world that would continue to form other works in his oeuvre.