Prufrock

Question 1

Prufrock contexts - Psychological influences

Answer 1

• Prufrock reflects 20th century psychology, engineered by Sigmund Freud
• 1899 interpretation of dreams emphasised how subconscious fears influence conscious actions
• Freud argued indecision was a cause of neurosis, miscommunication between the id, ego and superego
• In the 1910s, over 25% of upper class men suffered from some kind of nervous disease

Question 2

Prufrock contexts - The decline of the edwardian man

Answer 2

• Modern uncertainty and the War lead to the decline of the decisive masculine male
• As an American man living in Britain who had a double hernia, he was not eligible for the draft. Nonetheless, this may have made him insecure and emasculated.
• By 1913, over 44% of men under 30 had not married, a huge increase from earlier years