The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock: A Good Example of Modernism

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Modernism is a period which is both progressive and optimistic.The Modern period starts with the Renaissance for historians.It’s stem ‘’Modern’’, comes from the Latin which means ‘’current’’.It is a cultural movement which involves changes in art,architecture,music and literature:

‘’… the vast majority of attempts to offer alternative modes of representation in literature,music,painting,film and architecturefrom the middle of the 19th century to the middle of 20th century have been termed modernist’’(Childs 6)

It is a period when traditional values start to change.This movement causes innovations in science,art,culture,ethics,philosophy and psychology.It intends to find new or hidden meanings in the human experience.It’s main aim is to deal with new ideas.It is a break with the tradition.Modernist Poetry occurs between the 1890 and 1970.It’s key elements can be experimentation,anti realism,individualism.Experimentation means searching constantly.Anti-realism means to be against realism and concreteness.Individualism means to be an intellectual and to be an individual who has a self-confidence.The stress is mainly on the human mind rather than emotions.Many Modernist poets are from Universities,they appreciate their work a lot.It is a movement which is complex and diversed.It takes some of the important aspects from the movements.Modernism supports that every aspect from industry to philosophy should be interrogated.In this way,culture’s elements could be replaced by the new ones.The Modernist English poets write against the rules that are put by Victorian Poetry.They never deny the past poets or past works.They see themselves as they are respecting the earlier periods and other cultures.Their poems seem to be in longer form i...

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...tradition and believes that it can not be inherited,it could be obtained by great labour.According to Eliot a poet should write through his own experiences so he could create a masterpiece.(Tradition and the Individual Talent)

As a conclusion, since he is a 20th Century Modernist poet, Eliot believes that readers should have knowledge about ‘’ dead poets and artists’’ so they could appreciate the value of an artist’s work truly and better.He is right in what he says and also he believes one can only be original if he/she combines past and present.His poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock obviously carries these characteristics of Moderist Poetry.

Bibliography

Eliot,T.S. Prufrock and Other Observations (Poet to Poet: An Essential Choice of Classic Verse).

Childs,Peter.’’Modernism’’The Literary Encyclopedia.University of Glaucestershire. (June.11.2007)

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