Prufrock and Other Observations.

Prufrock and Other Observations.
London, 1917

publication history

Prufrock was T.S. Eliot's first published collection of poems. It did not become well-known until after The Waste Land was published in 1922.

J. Alfred Prufrock
First line: "Let us go then, you and I,..."

First publication of Prufrock in the Chicago magazine Poetry, June 1915.

Prufrock was written together with Portrait of a Lady in fragments during 1910-11, and completed August 1911 while Eliot stayed in Munich. Its original title was "Prufrock Among the Women," and several scraps have turned up which were originally probably a part of this poem - see Inventions of the March Hare, p. 39-47, where these scraps - Prufrocks' Pervigilium in particular - can be read. The feeling expressed in this poem is generally thought to be a fear of women, and although Eliot grew up in a house with a considerable amount of women himself, this feeling is often also attributed to Eliot himself. It is equally likely, however, that Eliot understood women well enough to be able to criticize and satirize them as he did everyone else, including himself. This is more fitting with Eliot's confession to Aiken "that he relied very much on the company of women" (# check Letters: To Conrad Aiken, 31 December 1914)

Portrait of a Lady
First line: "Among the smoke and fog of a December afternoon..."

First published in Others, September 1915.

Written during roughly the same period as Prufrock, 1910-11, the poem is conventionally thought to be inspired by Adeleine Moffat, a Bostonian grande dame who Aiken and Eliot used to visit. Other obvious influences are Henry James' novel of the same name, particularly when remembering Eliot's resolve during that time to "develop in the manner of Henry James"; and finally it is interesting to note that Pound had a "Portrait d'une Femme" which he must have written during the same time as Eliot (it was published in 1912), and this coincidence must have helped their friendship - in one letter, Eliot writes to Pound that he has found at least four more portrait ladies. (# check Letters)

Preludes
First line: "The winter evening settles down..."

First published in Blast, July 1915.

Rhapsody on a Windy Night
First line: "Twelve o'clock."

First published in Blast, July 1915.

Morning at the Window
First line:

The 'Boston Evening Transcript'
First line:

First publication of Prufrock in the Chicago magazine Poetry, August? 1915.

Aunt Helen
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First publication of Prufrock in the Chicago magazine Poetry, August? 1915.

Cousin Nancy
First line:

First publication of Prufrock in the Chicago magazine Poetry, August? 1915.

Mr. Apollinax
First line:

Hysteria
First line:

Conversation Galante
First line:

La Figlia Che Piange
First line: