Prufrock cannot bring himself to ask his companion the “overwhelming question” (which he never identifies) that carries us through the poem. He is paralyzed by the same overwhelming fear of missing out (yes, “FOMO”) that plagues a generation facing endless options and clear few choices: “In a minute there is time / For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse,” Prufrock laments. Instead, not daring to “disturb the universe,” (“how should I presume?” he asks), he engages in one long monologue rather than dialogue. Today, Prufrock might be a blogger—and, in his fixation on trivial objects of beauty, a social-media dilettante. —The Atlantic.
Similar:
Congrats to all the winners at the Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Project! Bit-Sized Productions ...
An English professor tries to help ChatGPT write and revise a sonnet
ChatBot Helps Crack the Case of the Missing 45GB
The internet’s memory is fading in front of us. Preserve what you can.
Students must learn how to get things wrong. Only one subject does that. [English.]
In October, 2002, I was blogging about stupid space explosions, the superiority complex, w...