Final answer:
T. S. Eliot, an influential Modernist poet and critic, wrote The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which contrasts with typical love songs through its deep psychological insight and modernist themes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The poet and literary critic who wrote The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is T. S. Eliot, a central figure of the Modernist movement in literature. Unlike typical love songs that often express unambiguously romantic sentiments, Eliot's poem is a complex exploration of the psyche of its speaker, Prufrock, showcasing his insecurities, paralysis in the face of life's choices, and existential dread. The work diverges from a conventional love song through its use of a dramatic monologue structure and the absence of a clearly identified muse or lover, instead delving into the internal monologue and fragmented thoughts of J. Alfred Prufrock himself.
The poem, beginning with an epigraph from Dante's Inferno, sets a serious tone that carries through its innovative form. It captures the disillusioned spirit of the post-World War I era and reflects Modernist themes like isolation, religious insecurity, and fragmentation of the individual and society. Eliot's work, particularly The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, continues to be celebrated for these innovative literary techniques and thematic depth.