The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Read Next

poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).

World Poetry Day

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Art texture. Close-up of yellow abstract painting. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society

10 Modernist Art Movements

Chapter 4 pg 42 - Chapter header of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Published in 1884 by The American Publishing Company

Periods of American Literature

The Jeff Koons tulips sculputure outside the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao, Spain, Basque Country.

What’s the Difference Between Modern and Contemporary Art?

Discover

Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin, and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest emergence of cicadas anywhere

Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders

Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

The Sun Was Eaten: 6 Ways Cultures Have Explained Eclipses

VAN, TURKEY - OCTOBER 25: A building and car ruined during the earthquake of Van-Ercis on October 25, 2011 in Van, Turkey. It is 604 killed and 4152 injured in Van-Ercis Earthquake.

What Is an Aftershock?

Arts & Culture

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

poem by Eliot

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 22, 2024 • Article History

Category: Arts & Culture

On the Web:: University of Missouri System - “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” – 1915 (Mar. 22, 2024)

See all related content →

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, dramatic monologue by T.S. Eliot, published in Poetry magazine in 1915 and in book form in Prufrock and Other Observations in 1917. The poem consists of the musings of Prufrock, a weary middle-aged man haunted by the feeling that he has lost both youth and happiness: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”

“Prufrock” was both Eliot’s first major publication and the first masterpiece of modernism in English. Eliot’s experiment with poetic form, metre, rhyme, and voice was a radical departure from the restrictions of established forms and diction.

Illustration of "The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" by William Blake, 1879. poem; poetry

Britannica Quiz

A Study of Poetry

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.