‘PRELUDES' CA / MODERN POEM / TITLE

"Preludes" by T.S. Eliot, composed between 1910 and 1911, stands as a poignant exploration of urban
life and the human condition in the early 20th century. This collection of four poems delves into the
fragmented and disenchanted aspects of society, presenting a bleak portrayal of a world marred by
corruption, desolation, and monotony. Eliot employs vivid imagery, a distinctive use of language, and
a technique of fragmenting human elements to convey a sense of dehumanization. As the poems
progress, there is a notable evolution in tone and complexity, with religious undertones and a nuanced
examination of the relationship between perception and reality. "Preludes" serves as a precursor to
Eliot's later masterpiece, 'The Waste Land,' showcasing his mastery in capturing the disquieting
essence of the modern urban landscape.
"Preludes" stands as a pivotal work in Eliot's poetic evolution, marking a significant transition from
"Prufrock" to 'The Waste Land.' Eliot demonstrates a growing mastery of economy, vivid imagery,
and the importance of impersonality and shifting perspectives. The poem's mood and tone play a
crucial role, conveying an overarching sense of squalid despair, dilapidation, and disillusionment.
Unlike the gentle comedy found in "Prufrock," "Preludes" adopts a minor-key, elegiac quality, imbued
with haunting, tragic intensity. Eliot's ultimate renunciation of self-pity adds a poignant layer to the
overall emotional impact of the poem.
“The showers beat
On broken blinds and chimney-pots,
And at the corner of the street
A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.
And then the lighting of the lamps.” (Eliot, Prelude I, 9 – 13)
In "Preludes," the seemingly objective and detached depictions of urban life are deceptive. The
imagery, such as the lonely cab-horse and the lighting of lamps, is not presented without emotional
influence from the observer. The observer's feelings permeate the scenes—the weariness of monotony,
the sameness in the raising of dingy shades, and the perception of human beings as dismembered body
parts: muddy feet, hands, short square fingers, and eyes certain of certainties. This fragmentation
serves as a stark negation of individual identity within the portrayed urban landscape.
"Preludes" embodies modernism through its fragmented portrayal of urban life, expressing
disillusionment with traditional values. T.S. Eliot captures the alienating effects of the modern city,
using innovative language and free verse to challenge conventional poetic forms. The poem delves
into subjective experiences, reflecting a crisis of identity and values in the face of a changing world.
"Preludes" encapsulates the essence of modernist literature by exploring urban desolation,
dehumanization, and the search for meaning within the complexities of the modern condition.
“As the street hardly understands;
Sitting along the bed’s edge, where
You curled the papers from your hair,
Or clasped the yellow soles of feet
In the palms of both soiled hands.” (Eliot, Prelude III, 11 – 15)
Eliot employs a technique in "Preludes" that involves fragmenting human elements, such as "muddy
feet" and "hands", hair, soles of the feet, and "palms of both soiled hands", and "insistent feet,"
fingers, and eyes. This fragmentation denies the emergence of a complete human soul or body,
rendering the elements as mechanical and dislocated, akin to the actions of a robot. This technique
serves as Eliot's commentary, in certain moods, on human behavior. Notably, this approach is further
developed and expanded upon in his later work, 'The Waste Land.'
In 'Preludes' III and IV, there is a heightened complexity of tone and emotion compared to I and II.
The third 'Prelude' introduces a 'you' with a unique vision of the street, possibly a street-walker like
Marie Donadieu from Philippe's. However, the reader doesn't receive an objective portrayal of her
perceptions; instead, the controlling voice of the poem attributes the images to her consciousness. The
'you' relentlessly contemplates its own processes, projecting them outward in the form of a woman's
consciousness. This 'Prelude' establishes a sharper distinction between the perceiving consciousness
and the objects of perception compared to I and II, emphasizing the persona's vision of the street
versus the street itself. The concept of the soul composed of 'a thousand sordid images' denies any
spiritual dimension to the self.
“His soul stretched tight across the skies
That fade behind a city block,
Or trampled by insistent feet
At four and five and six o’clock;” (Eliot, Prelude IV, 1 – 4)
The initial lines of the fourth 'Prelude' echo the imagery of the evening spread out like a patient
etherized upon a table in 'Prufrock.' In this section, the concept of the soul differs from that in the
third 'Prelude.' Here, there's a palpable sense of acute pain and suffering as the soul is described as
being racked across the skies and on the street.
The lines "The conscience of a blackened street/Impatient to assume the world" carry religious
overtones, where 'blackness' implies a sense of sin, and 'conscience' suggests moral discrimination and
responsibility. The distinction between subject and object becomes blurred—whose conscience is it?
The street's or the perceiving self's? The poetic voice, for the first time, directly speaks, admitting a
lack of detachment and impassivity. Compassion emerges with a tentative inclination toward religious
belief. The notion of "some infinitely gentle/Infinitely suffering thing" might be a compassionate
perception of inherent suffering in the images around which the poet's thoughts revolve and in the
souls constituted by these images. This could also serve as a reminder of Christ's suffering to redeem
humanity's sins. However, the tone shifts, and the religious vision is sardonically dismissed, though
not entirely erased. The cynicism may mask a nostalgic yearning for an absent ideal, emphasized by
the typographical space, accentuating the gap between the ideal and the actual.