Ariana Claudio
Ms. Mattie Q. Smith
ERH-101-05
8 December 14
Help Received: Brittani Jackson read over essay for clarity and Ms. Smith for ideas
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Intertextualities Effects on Writing
Intertextuality can be defined as “every text is an intertextual adaption of other texts which open
up a new horizon (Borg).” It is a “feature of language” used to enhance a particular work (Borg). “The
Love Song of J. Alford Prufrock” is a poem written by Thomas Stearns Eliot that displays the use of
intertextuality and how it can amplify certain aspects within a text. Some critics conceive that
“intertextuality is considered a new name for literary terms.” Some specific strategies that Eliot uses
throughout the text are allusion, epigraph, and juxtaposition. The subject of Eliot’s poem is a man named
J. Alfred Prufrock. Eliot forms the poem with a “collage” of past references in order to magnify who
Prufrock is as a man (Borg). Eliot uses intertextuality to describe and heighten the “mental state” and
inner conflict of his emotions; the inner conflict being of obtaining the courage to confess his feelings to
his lover.
Eliot inserts a Latin epigraph at the start of the poem from “Dante’s Inferno.” Eliot chose this
specific text in order to relate Dante in certain ways to Prufrock. The epigraph is about a man, Count
Guido da Montefeltro, who relates to Prufrock in that he is man who is “self-deceiving” to avoid certain
situations (Mandal, Annesha, and Modak). In addition to the epigraph, Eliot uses different types of
intertextuality to show who Prufrock is as a person. To show Prufrocks lack of ability to express his
emotions to the woman he loves, in Line 13, Eliot juxtaposes Prufrock and the women “talking of
Michelangelo (Eliot).” Eliot repeatedly places it in the poem to show that the women can easily speak of
Michelangelo (Mandal, Annesha, and Modak).
The element of Time is used many times in the poem to provide an explanation for why Prufrock
continuously stops himself from addressing his lover. Eliot uses an allusion to contrast how Prufrock is
using time (Mandal, Annesha, and Modak). The subject in Andrew Marvell’s poem, “To His Coy
Mistress,” uses time to convince his lover that there is not enough time; therefore the subject’s lover
should make love to him. Prufrock’s self-consciousness is clear in that he feels people will point out his
growing in age. He has an internal battle with himself thinking that some will notice the “bald spot in the
middle of my hair” or “how his arms and legs are thin (Eliot).” Eliot uses the reference from
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” when Polonius states “for you yourself, sit, should be old as I am, if like a crab
you could go backwards (Mandal, Annesha, and Modak).” Prufrock is aware of his own lack of valor and
compares himself to the image of a crab (Mandal, Annesha, and Modak). Eliot shows the distinction of
how Prufrock feels about himself to the story of John the Baptist. Prufrock says that “Though I have seen
my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter (Eliot).” John the Baptist was beheaded and
brought in on a platter (Mandal, Annesha, and Modak). He was beheaded was because he said that the
marriage of Herod and Herodias was unlawful (Mandal, Annesha, and Modak). Eliot is contrasting
Prufrock’s lack of courage to speak the truth with John the Baptist’s daring statement. Prufrock states that
he is aware of his weakness in that he states “I am no prophet (Eliot).”
Prufrock again shows his awareness of his weaknesses when Eliot uses the reference of Hamlet
and the “attendant lord (Eliot).” Hamlet, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, possesses the same characteristic of
Prufrock of indecisiveness as does Prufrock but the difference between the two is that Hamlet is “majestic
and charismatic (Cummings).” Prufrock says that “No! I am not Prince Hamlet…Am an attendant lord
(Eliot).” Here Prufrock is saying that he does not have the good qualities that Hamlet has; instead he
relates himself to the unimportant attendant lord (Cummings). Prufrock wants to approach his lover but
instead he sits in the background; just like the character of the attendant lord. Prufrock is showing that he
lacks the values of majesties and charisma that Hamlet thrives upon.
The past references that Eliot uses are Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, Andrew Marvell’s poem “To
His Coy Mistress,” Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and the story of John the Baptist. The most used strategy that
Eliot uses within the poem is the element of compare and contrast. Comparing and contrasting Prufrock to
the multiple subjects in the past references adds to the readers understanding of the inner turmoil of J.
Alfred Prufrock struggles with. For example, Eliot opens the poem with the epigraph of Dante’s Inferno.
The epigraph gives the reader an initial look at Prufrock’s lack of bravery when certain situations arise.
Eliot shows within the constrast of Prufrock and the subject of “To His Coy Mistress” by accentuating
their extreme differences. Prufrock is dependent on the need for endless time whereas the opposing
character feels that there is never enough time. Eliot chose the references that he did in order to focus in
on Prufrocks character. Each reference discusses a different aspect of Prufrocks personality and the
conflict that he has yet to resolve.
Word Count: 855
Works Cited
Borg, Erik. "Local Plagiarisms." Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education 34.4 (2009): 415-426.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.
Mandal, Annesha, and Modak. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock: A Postmodern Poem with a
Postmodern Hero." (12, February 2013 ): n. page. Print.
Eliot, Thomas. Bartleby.com. N.p.. Web. 6 Dec 2014. <http://www.bartleby.com/198/1.html>.
Cummings, Michael J. The Love Song of J. Alfred Purfrock: Study Guide,
<http://cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/Prufrock.html>