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14th out of 134 books
—
174 voters
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Other Poems
by
T.S. Eliot
Hardcover, 44 pages
Published
1976
by Ameron
(first published December 1915)
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1st out of 64 books
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17 voters
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"Do I dare disturb the universe?"
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Aug 11, 2012
Michael
added it
I think that this poem has overemphasized the narrative voice as a single nurotic man when it should be seen as related to Modern Man. Prurock is definitely a cultured educated upper class gentleman.If the intelligentsia is lost, having the most going for it, what about the rest of us. The poem reminds me of “notes from the underground” where the underground man cannot reach the surface because he has a modern self understanding. Reading this poem from the perspective of an individual man makes...more
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is an examination of the tortured ego of the modern man—overeducated, eloquent, neurotic, pompous and disturbed, who’s ironically tortured due to his overwhelming brilliance. The main character, not someone of fame and wealth but rather an unacknowledged poet, sees the world as spiritually exhausted and a wasteland. Humans are incapable of communicating with one another because their psychological state is too fragile and afraid of change. He notices all the...more
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This poem is, I think, Eliot’s ‘fanfare for the common man’. Prufrock is the ordinary bloke in the street, and his name itself seems deliberately humdrum to set him apart from the great figures of literature: ‘No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be,’ he exclaims self-deprecatingly after a rather long passage of philosophising. But although he is no hero, Prufrock is as capable of appreciating beauty and having deep insights into the human condition as any of the exalted ones. He is rath...more
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Prufrock has been an enormous influence upon my writing. The archetypal procrastinator, nervous and timid, wondering whether he dares eat a peach in front of sophisticated, self-confident women who talk of Michelangelo. Embarrassed by his thinning hair. Never sure how to 'force the moment to its crisis'. Not for him, a hero's status - not Prince Hamlet but "an attendant lord, one that will do /
To swell a progress, start a scene or two".
Would Prufrock be pleased to hear he was my role model for...more
To swell a progress, start a scene or two".
Would Prufrock be pleased to hear he was my role model for...more
This poem articulates the neurosis of the modern era like no other. I memorized the whole thing while in grad school and recited it once at a party -- while standing on a stair (worried about my hair) where people did come and go, but they talked more of Cicero (since it was a comp/rhet degree I was pursuing). I was full sick of rhetorica and wishing for more poetica in my life. Eliot, of course, delivered. Although I no longer have the whole thing memorized, I still quote lines when appropriate...more
Question: Why oh why do they make children read Prufrock in school? How can a kid, having run in from recess with pink perfect cheeks and years to go before hairs start sprouting out of weird places, have any idea what T.S. Eliot is talking about? How can someone who thinks 21-year-olds are ancient, possibly get Prufrock? I remember being asked to read this poem in fourth grade, and it is touching in an odd way to think back on the scene in the classroom - my 40-ish, balding teacher, bent almost...more
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Perhaps my favorite poem for its vivid use of imagery and metaphor. One of my favorite memories of the play is the Crash Test Dummies song, "Afternoons and Coffeespoons," popular at the same time I read this poem.
In the room the women come and go/Talking of Michelangelo.
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands,
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for yo...more
In the room the women come and go/Talking of Michelangelo.
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands,
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for yo...more
The first time I heard this poem out loud, all I could say was "Wow." I haven't read much of Eliot's work, and to be honest, most of it goes over my head. However, "Prufrock" connected with me so strongly—the indecision, fear of the future, fear of doing something incredible, falling in love, the meaninglessness of life, the fear of not being worthy of affection, doom in death.... Written so eloquently, with great sadness & emptiness, this gorgeous poem voices the fears of every person doesn...more
Study it. Examine, analyze, interpret. You will not understand it on the first or second read. I poured over this for 2 weeks until I finally grasped Eliot's message. Anyone who considers themselves to be a member of The Club knows and understands it. If you've picked apart this poem, you'll know that this is a far cry from a typical love song.
I'm not sure how I forgot that "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" from T.S. Eliot is one of my favorite complicated-poems-thats-so-beautiful-it's-easy-to-read. A little boredom, a cross-country flight with wi-fi and an iPad helped me remember. Read it (or read it again) for a kick in the pants.
This version says it includes other poems, but I only read The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
I liked it so much, but my English was making the interpretation really weird and I didn't agree with it at all.
I liked it so much, but my English was making the interpretation really weird and I didn't agree with it at all.
I always enjoy returning to Eliot, and as much of a cliche as it is Prufrock is always one of my favourites. His poems benefit from spending time with them, and I often pull this book out for a lazy, rainy night.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is the most beautiful poem I have ever read. I'm not a big poetry connoisseur, so feel free to disagree.
I would eat this poem if I could. Or marry it. I would hold the hair of this poem while it puked, if it were the type of poem to drink heavily to the point of wretching, but it's not. This poem is far too good for those sort of shennanigans. (Instead, it partakes of tea and cakes and ices and lingers in dooryards and ponders the beauty and futility of life,...more
I would eat this poem if I could. Or marry it. I would hold the hair of this poem while it puked, if it were the type of poem to drink heavily to the point of wretching, but it's not. This poem is far too good for those sort of shennanigans. (Instead, it partakes of tea and cakes and ices and lingers in dooryards and ponders the beauty and futility of life,...more
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Intellectually I recognize the beauty of T.S. Eliot's poetry but personally? I found this to be misogynistic and borderline creepy. It was okay, but I won't attempt to read him again.
I hated this poem. I only was forced to read and analyze it for class. I wouldn't suggest it only if you are a fan of poetry!! Uuuugh~This was a pain-in-the-ass work.
So much more beautiful to me now than when I first read these poems several years ago. Not sure what changed, but I feel a music in these that I never saw before.
I've read Prufrock and some of Eliot's other poems, but not this entire book. Needlessly to say, he's mind blowing. Prufrock changed my view of poetry entirely.
Prufrock is my all time favorite poem. I enjoy Eliot in general, but that one just struck me many years ago when I was in high school and I still hold it dear.
This collection is on my bookshelf in some way over 10 times- it is the most powerful collection of T.S.Eliot, and the reason why I study poetry.
Even though this is less than three pages, I would honestly put it in the same league as Joyce's "Ulysses." This is an amazing piece of literature.
Listened to this recently. Well read. Great voice.
audio at http://literalsystems.org/abooks/inde...
audio at http://literalsystems.org/abooks/inde...
"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea / By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown / Till human voices wake us, and we drown."
I don't like T.S. Elliot. And this is a definite time where my personal opinion of an author takes from my judgment of their work.
This is quite literally the only poem that ever had a lasting effect on me. I recite it in the shower sometimes. Yes, I'm that weird.
I grow old ... I grow old ...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Prufrock is (perhaps disturbingly so) my new fave.
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Prufrock is (perhaps disturbingly so) my new fave.
I do not presume to know enough about poetry in order to judge one, but I can honestly say, that this piece brought me to tears.
Dec 27, 2011
Nana Park
added it
I love this poem. Mostly because of the epilogue. Dante's Inferno, Divine Comedy. Amazing poem, amazing interpretation. Bravo.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock has been one of my favorite poems since college. It is classic Eliot and essential reading.
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Thomas Stearns Eliot was a poet, dramatist and literary critic. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948 "for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry." He wrote the poems The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, The Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday, and Four Quartets; the plays Murder in the Cathedral and The Cocktail Party; and the essay Tradition and the Individ...more
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“For I have known them all already, known them all—
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
—
451 people liked it
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
—
186 people liked it
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Nov 08, 2011 03:44am