Noted American poet, playwright and critic Most famous for “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” and The Waste Land, a look at the time between WWI and WWII that viewed the “moral bankruptcy” of a society that was spiritually empty and paralyzed by indecision. HE viewed contemporary life as unromantic and unheroic. He liked classical literature and poetry and often made allusions to them in his work because he felt they had superior values to the modern times. Poetry based on symbolist movement. It was designed to suggest rather than state outright, making his poems more complex.

Stream of consciousness Modernist technique Captures conversation inside speaker’s mind Often jumps to or merges with unrelated thoughts Although “jumpy”, there are NO nonessential details Use of Allusions Look for at least three big allusions Ask yourself: How does this relate or connect to the speaker? Is it a similar detail or is there a difference? What does it reveal about Prufrock? Imagery Uses vague images Effect?

Have you ever hesitated to say or do something? Why did you hesitate? What were the results? Story: Prufrock is on a walk in an unnamed city to visit a woman to whom he feels attracted. He wants to find out if she has similar feelings towards him. Response after reading: Complete the TPCAST online sheet and answer the following question. Provide an explanation. Picture a traditional hero. Is Prufrock like this? What makes him similar or different? What is the author trying to tell us about society using Prufrock as the example?