Prepared by Casey Kalber and Christina McCree on 2/22/2012
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot (1888-1965)
Born into a prominent and successful family, Eliot had a comfortable upbringing in St. Louis, Missouri. He first
began writing poetry while working on his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Harvard. Continuing his studies
and writings, Eliot later attended the Sorbonne in Paris, and Oxford in England. While studying at Oxford, he
published one of his most famous works, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. With the events of World War I
raging, Eliot was unable to finish his doctoral degree, in turn setting up more time to write and a job as a teacher
in London. In 1914, Eliot met a fellow writer, Ezra Pound. Together these two had a high influence on poetry, and
the modernism movement at the time. Pound helped critique Eliot's poems including, The Waste Land, which was
finished after Eliot had a mental breakdown from a failed marriage and being overworked. After the start of
World War II, Eliot decided to ditch politics and focus on nonfiction essays and plays. Eliot made various trips to
the United States to lecture, but resided in England until his death at the age of 76.
Selected Bibliography
Collections of Poetry:
Prufrock and Other Observations (1917)
Poems (1920)
Ariel Poems (1927-1954)
Poems:
The Waste Land (1922)
The Hollow Men (1925)
Ash Wednesday (1930)
Coriolan (1931)
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939)
Four Quartets (1945)
Plays:
Murder in the Cathedral (1935)
The Family Reunion (1939)
The Cocktail Party (1949)
The Confidential Clerk (1953)
Selected Critical Bibliography
Representative Journal Articles Published on Eliot since 2002:
Bellin, Roger. "The Seduction Of Argument And The Danger Of Parody In The Four Quartets." Twentieth
Century Literature: A Scholarly And Critical Journal 53.4 (2007): 421-441. MLA International
Bibliography. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Carver, Beci. "London As A Waste Of Space In Eliot's The Waste Land." Critical Quarterly 49.4 (2007): 56-70.
MLA International Bibliography. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Haiquin, Xue. “On An ‘Overwhelming Question’ in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Canadian Social
Science. Vol. 5, No. 2 (April 2009): 79-82. Print.
Lehman, Robert S. "Eliot's Last Laugh: The Dissolution Of Satire In The Waste Land." Journal Of Modern
Literature 32.2 (2009): 65-79. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Matthews, Steven. "T. S. Eliot's Chapman: 'Metaphysical' Poetry And Beyond." Journal Of Modern Literature
29.4 (2006): 22-43. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Mayer, Nicholas B. "Catalyzing Prufrock." Journal Of Modern Literature 34.3 (2011): 182-198.
MLA International Bibliography. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Rogers, Lynne. "The Remains Of 'The Waste Land': T. S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land' And Ahmad Harb's The
Remains." Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies 12.1 (2003): 5-24. MLA International Bibliography.
Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
A Review of Xue Haiquin’s “On An ‘Overwhelming Question’ in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock.” Canadian Social Science Vol. 5, No. 2 (April 2009) p. 79-82.
In her essay “On An ‘Overwhelming Question’,” Haiquin explores T.S Eliot’s images and
allusions for implying the “question.” She analyzes the meanings of many of Eliot’s references to
scenery, literature, and religion in relation to the seemingly doomed character. Although “Prufrock” is a
more light-hearted piece than “The Waste Land,” it should be read with the same analytical state of
mind to catch Eliot’s witty commentary.
First, Haiquin addresses the use of images for implying the question. In the beginning of the
poem, Prufrock starts with, “Let us go, you and I,/When the evening is spread out against the sky/Like a
patient etherized upon a table…” (lines 1-3). As many critics have pointed out, “you” and “I” are not
two different people, but rather two states of mind (80). The “you” is the thinking self, while the “I” is
the public personality that is seen the most. “You” is therefore Prufrock’s true self. Also, the evening
images are used to imply that the world is passively covered in darkness and that it is difficult for most
people to distinguish their true selves while under a mask. Eliot continues to use weather images in the
third stanza. The “yellow smoke” usually covers up something, just as fog would, so Prufrock thinks
that there will be time “to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;/There will be time to murder
and create…” (lines 26-27). He is so self-conscious and indecisive that he needs time to prepare a false
version of himself before the party.
Next, Haiquin analyzes Eliot’s use of literary
characters and religious figures. The epigraph before the
first stanza comes the Inferno of Dante’s “Divine
Comedy.” Guido da Montefeltro identifies himself to
Dante, basing his self-revelation that no one will discover
his identity. Here, Eliot alludes Montefeltro to Prufrock;
the difference between them is that Montefeltro dares to
reveal to reveal his true identity while Prufrock is afraid
to. Also, Eliot compares Prufrock to Hamlet from the
Shakespeare play. Hamlet is famous for his hesitancy,
indecision, and drawn out dialogues of anxiety, doubt, or
unhappiness (81). Prufrock is a sort of modern Hamlet,
because he is also very indecisive. Still, he claims he is
not the same as the prince, because he is not as noble.
Finally, the religious figures that are alluded to are John the Baptist and Lazarus. These two characters,
when Prufrock speaks of them, are used to form a vivid contrast or comparison with him. He is neither a
prophet, nor a great sage, but merely a “perplexed, unheroic, inhibited, twentieth-century young man”
(81).
In conclusion, Haiquin declares that the reason for all of the allusions is to make a point:
Prufrock is divided into two selves. One wants him to ask the “overwhelming question,” while the other
tries to prevent it (82). By writing this poem, Eliot attempted to shed light on the predicament of people
in the modern world: a battle within themselves.