Final answer:
The 'beginning' example of 'Modernity' in 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' is reflected through the poem’s departure from traditional love song themes and its alignment with High Modernist qualities, such as formal structure, historical allusions, and a depiction of a fragmented reality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The beginning example of 'Modernity' in T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' can be identified through its break from traditional love song themes and its reflection of Modernist elements. Unlike a conventional love song that often explores the joys and optimism of love, Eliot's poem delves into the speaker’s inner turmoil and preoccupation with time, indecision, and an overall sense of paralysis. The poem opens with an epigraph from Dante’s Inferno, setting the tone of introspection and existential dread. Additionally, it can be considered an example of High Modernism, with its formal structure, traditional rhyme scheme, and explicit allusions to literature and religion, all while articulating the fragmented, disjointed reality of the modern world. The dramatic monologue format used by Eliot also serves to showcase Modernist themes by allowing readers to witness Prufrock’s internal struggle directly, rather than through the lens of more usual romantic expression.