3 years, 4 months ago
What does the J in J. Alfred Prufrock stand for?
T. S. Eliot's poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, has always been my favorite. I've seen on the one hand, that the J. is merely a meaningless imitation of the way he signed his name in those days, "T. Stearns Eliot". I've also heard it stood for "jocubus" (word). Can anyone point me to better information?
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$1 Answer
The Wikipedia page makes reference to a 1950 letter of Eliot's regarding a connection to a Prufrock-Littau furniture company. In it he says, "I did not have, at the time of writing the poem, and have not yet recovered, any recollection of having acquired this name in any way, but I think that it must be assumed that I did, and that the memory has been obliterated." That seems, to me, to back up the "meaningless imitation" theory - he got the name Prufrock stuck in his head and made a nonsense copy of his own name using the similar structure.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$Report Abuse
