Freud also argued that dreams had their origin in the same unconscious impulses that could, when unbalanced, result in mental illnesses, including phobias and obsessions. In the first work, Freud maintained that dreams have meaning that can be interpreted on at least two levels-a dream’s surface details (what he calls its “manifest content”) and its hidden thoughts (its “latent content”). The 1900s and 1910s witnessed the publication of groundbreaking works like Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams (1900) and Carl Jung’s The Psychology of the Unconscious (1912), which further explored the workings of the human mind (see Freud’s On Dreams, also in Literature and Its Times). Experiments were conducted and observations made by a new generation of physicians and scientists, including the Austrian physician Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), giving rise to what would become modern psychology. During the late nineteenth century, the study of human behavior and human consciousness became more widespread. While it is unclear which interpretation is closer to the truth, Eliot’s writing of “Prufrock” did coincide with major developments in behavioral science. Eliot also said that he was using the notion of the split personality, first studied and popularized in his youth. In an interview in 1962, however, Eliot gave a very different explanation, saying that Prufrock was in part a man of about 40 and in part Eliot himself. ALFRED PRUFROCK anything I say now must be some-what conjectural, as it was written so long ago that my memory may deceive me but I am prepared to assert that the “you” in THE LOV SONG is merely some friend or companion, presumably of the male sex, whom the speaker is at that moment addressing … In 1949 Eliot wrote to critic Kristian Smidt:Īs for THE LOVE SONG OF J. Alfred Prufrock” addresses an unseen listener “Prufrock,” however, is unusual in that the listener remains not only unseen but unidentified throughout.Įliot’s own remarks on the relations between the mysterious “you and I” have been subject to change over the years. Like many dramatic monologues, “The Love Song of J. The enigmatic opening line of Eliot’s poem-“Let us go then, you and I”-has generated much speculation on the part of critics and biographers. Events in History at the Time of the Poem The unconscious mind Evocative, lyrical, and fragmented, it poignantly explores the divided self and the tragedy of inaction. Alfred Prufrock” remains one of his most frequently studied poems. Although more notable successes were to follow, such as the landmark publication of The Waste Land (1922), Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” was printed in Poetry magazine-as well as the beginning of what was to be a successful career as a poet, critic, and dramatist. That same year marked the first publication of Eliot’s work-“The Love Song of J. In 1915 Eliot married Vivien Haigh-Wood, an English writer, and the pair embarked on what was to be an often-troubled marriage. Around this time, he also began a close association with poet Ezra Pound, whose help and sponsorship eventually led to the publication of Eliot’s early work and to several reviewing, writing, and editing assignments. In 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War I, Eliot moved to England, where he studied Greek philosophy at Merton College, Oxford. Graduating in 1910, Eliot spent a year abroad, studying literature in France and Germany before returning to Harvard to pursue graduate studies in philosophy. As an undergraduate, Eliot developed numerous academic interests, especially in Elizabethan and Jacobean literature, English idealist philosophy, and Indian mystical philosophy. Louis, Missouri in 1888, Thomas Stearns Eliot attended Milton Academy in Massachusetts, then went on to Harvard University in 1906. A dramatic monologue set during the 1910s published in 1915.Ī middle-aged man tries to summon the courage to ask a question that might change his life, but ultimately tails to act.Įvents in History at the Time of the Poemīorn in St.
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