Final answer:
Critiques of 'fragmentation' in 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' often focus on the narrator's sense of isolation and the poem's stream-of-consciousness style that mirrors the disjointed nature of the modernist world view. Prufrock's inability to relate to others and his psychological paralysis contribute to the poem's fragmented structure and reflect the themes of modernist literature.
Step-by-step explanation:
One example of literary critiques addressing fragmentation in T.S. Eliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' is the isolation and disconnection felt by the poem's speaker, Prufrock. Unlike a typical love song, which is usually infused with feelings of romance and connection, Eliot's poem serves as a dramatic monologue that explores Prufrock's profound sense of isolation and his inability to relate to the world around him. This sense of fragmentation is highlighted by Prufrock's stream-of-consciousness delivery, which mirrors the disjointed nature of thought and contributes to a fragmented narrative structure.
Prufrock's continuous questioning of his actions and his reluctance to engage with others displays the isolation exemplified by his character. This self-imposed fragmentation is further illustrated by the reference to Dante's Inferno, suggesting a metaphorical descent into a personal hell born from Prufrock's psychological paralysis. Eliot's use of modernist techniques in the poem—such as indirect references and fragmented imagery—aligns with High Modernist poetry's tendency to represent the world as broken or chaotic, emphasizing how traditional forms of expression have become disjointed in the modern era.