One of the subjects that has remained of interest throughout the
years is love. Love is a subject of a wide range of poems and themes
relating to love occur again and again. Yet, as time changes, the approach
to love also changes. This is especially clear when the changes that have
occurred from the Victorian age to the Modernist age are considered. This
is a period when some major changes occurred in the way the world was
looked at. These changes were then reflected in the poetry was being
created. A consideration of poems created in each of the periods, will
show the changes that took place. The first poem that will be considered
is Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnet "How Do I Love Thee'" This is an
example of a Victorian poem and offers a clear view of how love was viewed
at the time. The second poem that will be considered is T.S. Eliot's "The
Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." This poem is a good example of a
Modernist poem. With love as its subject, it shows the changes that have
taken place. Comparing these two poems is especially effective because
they can be considered as opposites, Browning's hopelessly romantic, and
Eliot's lacking all romance. The third poem that will be considered is
T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland." This poem is also a Modernist work and shows
that the Modernist approach involves recognizing depth and the human spirit
and is not all negative, as "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" might
suggest. However, unlike Browning's sonnet, it can be seen that love is
not considered the answer to the human journey. This analysis will now be
conducted, first by looking closely at each poem. This will include
describing the meaning of each poem, and showing the author's approach to
love, as seen in the poem. After each poem has been considered, the major
differences that have occurred from the Victorian age to the Modernist age
will be discussed. Finally, it is import...