Modernism was a cultural movement or period style that was dominant particularly in the very late 19th Century through to the end of World War II. As such, it marked a distinctive break from Victorian nobility and morality, and rejected the optimism that was prevalent in the 19th Century. Its ideals were that rationalism would perhaps one day rule humanity, and as such modernism posed a more pessimistic view on society than previous periods. Perhaps …showed first 75 words of 1038 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1038 total…the state of the world. In conclusion, it can be seen through Eliot's use of language and imagery that "Preludes" is greatly influenced by its context. Not only is this context that of modernism, but also the impact of Romanticism and the Victorians. Through analysis of "Preludes", it can be said that Eliot had intended to reflect upon the context and ridicule it by comparing it to the periods of the Romantics and the Victorians.