Initially, the poem was called ‘Prufrock among the women’. But Eliot changed the title to its present name after taking some inspiration from the title ‘The love song of Har Dyal’, a poem by the famous Rudyard Kipling. It is often said that the word ‘Prufrock’ is taken from the German word ‘Prüfstein’ which means ‘touchstone’.
Related links:-

The poem is rather difficult to interpret and understand as initially it seems that the poem is about a sexually frustrated man trying to say something but is unable to do so. But if you go deep into the verses, you’ll find that the traits are psychological than logical. It is quite difficult to understand whether Prufrock is going somewhere or trying to speak to someone. Even the intentional listeners are not explained. It is rather musing that Prufrock is speaking to another person or openly to the reader. After various long debates and discussion, it is a common consensus among the elite poets that Prufrock is going to have an afternoon tea and he is preparing to ask ‘irresistible questions’ on his way to the tea. Many others believe that Prufrock is not going anywhere physically but is playing in his mind! There’s a dispute to what irresistible question is Prufrock preparing to ask. Many think that he is attempting to express his feeling to a woman. But many others believe that Prufrock is attempting to express some philosophical insights. This poem makes various allusions to other’s work.

As Eliot uses various symbolical techniques, it is often very difficult to understand what to interpret and what not to. And that’s the reason why various artists have debated this poem throughout the 20th century!

Related Links:-
The poem was composed between the months of February 1910 and July 1911. But it was first published in 1915 in Chicago. It was issued in the July issue of the magazine ‘Poetry: A magazine of verses’. Even this release of poem has a story behind it. This poem was published because Ezra Pound, magazine’s editor, persuaded magazine’s founder Harriet Monroe to read Eliot’s work. That convinced Harriet to publish one of the finest works in history of 20th century literature!

Related Links:-

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ is, basically, a poem written by the famous poet T. S. Eliot. This piece of literature is popularly known as ‘Prufrock’. Eliot began working on this poem in the month of February 1910 but it could be published only by the year 1915. It was first published in Chicago. This poem is often described as the drama of mythical sufferings! Because of the various expressions highlighted in the poem, Prufrock has become one of the most acknowledged voices in the modern literature!


For more information about The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock you can check following links:-

© 2010 PruFrock Theatre Suffusion WordPress theme by Sayontan Sinha