“The Theme of Alienation in Modernist Literature A Study of T. S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf”
Author(s): Pranab Kumar Senapati, Dr. Afifa Bano
Publication #: 2509020
Date of Publication: 21.09.2025
Country: India
Pages: 1-6
Published In: Volume 11 Issue 5 September-2025
Abstract
The early twentieth century witnessed unprecedented social, cultural, and technological upheavals that profoundly reshaped human consciousness and creative expression. Amid this shifting landscape, modernist literature emerged as a radical departure from traditional forms, marked by stylistic experimentation and a deep engagement with the psychological and existential crises of modern life. Central to this movement is the pervasive theme of alienation—the estrangement of the individual from society, from others, and often from the self. This study examines how two pivotal modernist writers, T. S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf, portray alienation in their seminal works. Through a close textual analysis of Eliot’s The Waste Land and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock alongside Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, the paper explores how these authors articulate the fragmentation, isolation, and spiritual desolation characteristic of modern existence. Eliot’s poetry encapsulates the paralysis and spiritual void of post-war urban society through fragmented structures and intertextual allusions, while Woolf’s fiction delves into the private inner lives of her characters, exposing the disjunction between their interior worlds and external social roles. By adopting a comparative lens, this study highlights the gendered inflections, narrative strategies, and philosophical underpinnings that shape each writer’s treatment of alienation. The research underscores alienation as both a symptom and a critique of modernity, demonstrating how Eliot and Woolf illuminate the psychological costs of modern life while expanding the artistic possibilities of literature.
Keywords: Modernist Literature, Alienation, T. S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Existential Crisis
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