Title: Ineffable Desire: On Ethical Anxiety in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

Abstract: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” shows the complicated psychological process of courtship. However, the unidentified woman in the poem possibly lacks the reality of presence, while Prufrock obviously shows his sexual desire for women. Yet facing with the ethical dilemma, the poet Eliot skillfully fills the central void of his love song, relieves Prufrock’s body pain and helps him escape from social conventions by means of rhapsody. While using Prufrock as his agent, Eliot integrates embodied cognition on the body, psychological reality and family background to express his ethical anxiety.

Keywords: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” T. S. Eliot, ineffable desire, ethical anxiety

Author: Yanwen Guo, Ph.D. Candidate, College of International Studies, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.