25 Philip Larkin

Dr. Liji Varghese

           

Philip Larkin: AnIntroduction

Philp Arthur Larkin (1922-1985) is an English poet who is associated with the Movement School of poetry. His poetry is characterised by a pessimistic strain that offers a rather dour commentary on contemporary life. His tone is never ecstatically emotional and he maintains a composed poise in his renderings on post-war society. Though he was offered the post of England’s Poet Laureate in 1984, Larkin preferred to stay away from the limelight and consequently declined the offer. His shy and reclusive nature is reflected in his works as well where his remote and lucid style offers a marked contrast with some of his more vociferous counterparts. Many critics point out that Larkin’s early poetry quite distinctly reflects the influences of W. B. Yeats and Thomas Hardy. Nevertheless, Larkin manages to find his own unique and sensible ideal of articulation that helped him to comment on the inadequacies of contemporary society in a darkly humorous tone. Though despair is the predominant note in his works, he couches it in a wry and self- deprecating humour. Alan Brown john aptly comments on Larkin’s uniqueness when he says that the poet produced “the most technically brilliant and resonantly beautiful, profoundly disturbing yet appealing and approachable, body of verse of any English poet in the last twenty five years” (qtd. in Poetry Foundation).

For a poet who successfully captured the essence of post-war British society though his poems, Larkin has left behind only a very slim legacy of verse. He was never a copious writer and his meagre output astounds many as it has earned him a literary reputation that will transcend generations to come. The North Ship (1945), The Less Deceived (1955), The Whitsun Weddings (1964) and High Windows (1974) are his poetic collections that reflect his detached perspective. Though he has written a couple of novels, they never attained the literary fame that his poems garnered. His poems highlight his ideal of England and the poet often mourns the loss of this ideal. In fact, there is a certain note of provinciality in his works as England remained his favourite subject. His poems echo a cynical and yet strong assertion in those values that he believed to be important in the evolution of the English society. According to Poetry Foundation, “Larkin appealed primarily to the British sensibility; he remained unencumbered by any compunction to universalize his poems by adopting a less regional idiom.”

Philip Larkin’s Style

Larkin is noted for his conversational tone and ordinary themes that earned him a special place in the English Canon. His poems are noted for its intelligibility and Larkin was lauded for his attempts to bring poetry closer to the people. He often adopts the persona of a common English man in his works and reflects their broken dreams and forlorn anguishes through his poems. The middle class perspective is celebrated in Larkin’s works that cherish the image of a traditional and yet realistic England. His imagery is noted for its sharpness and keen observations. His word pictures captivate the reader and render a vivid poetic experience. Larkin is a very diligent poet when it comes to rhyme and metre. A close perusal of his works show Larkin’s intricate and detailed attention to rhyme schemes and syntax. In Larkin’s verses, these features add an extra dimension to the comprehension of his poetry and only a discerning reader can appreciate its technical brilliance.

Larkin is first and foremost a realistic poet. Though he does make use of figures of speech and symbols, his poetry is not crowded with these technical devices. The poetic persona employed by Larkin often employs a colloquial tone, one that mirrors the cadences of ordinary speech. His characters are also drawn from real life and therefore do not employ elaborate or extremely eloquent language. Many critics have commented on the drab nature of Larkin’s style and its tedious repetitions. One may conclude that  though Larkin has his share of detractors, nothing can diminish his significant role in shaping postmodern British poetry.

Movement Poetry

Movement poetry is a term that is loosely used to refer to a group of poets who share a few common objectives. The term was first coined by Jay D. Scott in 1954 to refer to writers like Philip Larkin, Kingsley Amis, Thom Gunn, Elizabeth Jennings, Robert Conquest, John Wain, Donald Davie and D. J. Enright whose primary goal was to take English poetry to new heights, eschewing the influences of Imagists and the neo- Romantic Symbolist poets. The Movement poets are primarily opposed to the manifold traits exhibited by modernist poetry of the 1920s and 1930s. Through their works, they try to establish the erstwhile tradition of the English Canon that had been displaced by the onslaught of modernism. The Movement poets lay stress on formal verse and lucidity in expression and are fervently anti-romantic in their tone and style. Irony and understatement become their leading vehicles of self-expression and they never seek to make grandiloquent claims regarding the superiority of the poet’s role in the creative evolution of a literary work.

The two representative anthologies associated with Movement poetry are Poets of the 1950’s edited by D. J. Enright and New Lines edited by Robert Conquest. Both these anthologies reflect the spirit of the Movement poets and their ideal of poetry. These  works also offer a contrast between the Movement poems and the poems of the earlier decades. According to Muhammad Naeem, the main difference is that they do not subscribe to any “theoretical constructs or to any agglomerations of unconscious commands” and is “free from both mystical and logical compulsions”, and “empirical in its attitude to all things”. However, the Movement was not really a highly organised group with a neatly sketched agenda and common principles. The poetry of its members displays a marked difference in their poetic diction and treatment of themes. In spite of their idiosyncratic differences on a creative level, they do agree on a few common tenets that they tried to espouse through their poetry.

An Analysis of Larkin’s Major Poems

Church Going

“Church Going” is a poem that explores the ambivalent space occupied by religion in the post-war society. The poetic persona is one who is unsure of the equation between faith and humanity. The poem begins with a note of casual irreverence when the speaker decides to visit a church on a random impulse. He emphasises that there is nothing spiritual motivating his decision to visit the church. However, as the poem progresses, this casual disregard for religion and conventions gives way to a more serious questioning of the ideals that bind human life. The poem thus travels full circle, from disbelief to a renewed acknowledgement of the uniqueness of human faith. The speaker’s determined attempt to analyse the relevance of his value judgments attains a universal significance as he explores the niggling question in detail.

Larkin’s poem is not just a commentary on the decline of religious values but a sincereattempt to explain man’s fascination for it. The conversational tone and simple diction belies the seriousness of the poet’s intent. Larkin’s objective is to raise several pertinent issues regarding the nature of man’s relationship with religion. The narrative’s clumsy and awkward engagement with the traditions of the church eventually gives way to a meaningful commentary on the mysterious lure posited by faith. His actions initially convey a sense of mockery and dispassionate probing into the ritualistic significance of the traditions associated with church. However, he vacillates between this air of nonchalance and a grudging respect for the concept of “faith.” The church thus becomes an extended metaphor for the conflicting emotions that it arouses in the heart of the sensitive spectator.

The title of the poem is also emblematic of the ambiguous stance adopted by the poetic persona. It could either refer to the act of going to church or the tacit way in which the ritual of church going has become redundant in modern society. It can also be seen as a flippant commentary on the casual visits to church as one would visit a theatre or museum. At the same time, it may also be an attempt to indicate the crucial role played by customs in association with the act of going to church. Perhaps, Larkin wants to bring into stark relief the complexity of the theme with its seemingly innocuous title.

The poem also holds a mirror to contemporary society as Larkin is merely reflecting the predominant attitude towards religion. “Church Going” was written in 1954 and echoed post-war Europe’s spiritual and moral ennui. The erosion of Christianity in Europe and the slow destruction of ritualistic practices gave rise to a detached atmosphere that was rife with alternate possibilities. Though Larkin conceded that faith is closely allied to human existence, he does not regard “Church Going” as a religious poem. He is more interested in debating the nature of faith and the role played by institutionalised religion in shaping a societal structure. Larkin’s religious skepticism is predominantly displayed when he comments on how religion will inevitably lose its stronghold. Nevertheless, he asserts his belief in its emotional significance.

A serious house on serious earth it is,

In whose blent air all our compulsions meet,

Are recognized, and robed as destinies.

And that much never can be obsolete.

In “Church Going” Larkin introduces religion in his own terms. It is not something that he blindly believes in and yet it is not casually dismissed either. Larkin’s preoccupation is not with the concept of God but with the undue reverence accorded to such a concept. His comment on the imminent decay of religious edifices assumes a prophetic note as he seems to foreshadow the religious disillusionment that postmodern man will eventually face. Nevertheless, “Church Going” becomes a typical Movement poem as it tries to project a particular image of England that he wanted to emphasise.  The poetic persona assumes the role of a typical English man, one who is irreverent towards religion and yet unconsciously tied to its roots. The nostalgic images of a bygone era are captured with masterful strokes and Larkin’s eye for detail can be seen in the minute descriptions of the church. However, he does not unduly complicate the poem using archaic expressions or cumbersome diction. The poem remains true to the Movement philosophy and becomes a wise exposition on human nature.

The Whitsun Weddings

“The Whitsun Weddings” is one of Larkin’s longest poems and is distinguished by its leisurely narration that reflects the poet’s train journey from Hull to London. It bears a striking resemblance to “Church Going” in its initial dismissive tone and eventual change of heart. The poet’s detached and ironical observation of the newly-wed couples (who got married on a Whitsun Saturday) later gives way to a reluctant acceptance of the institution of marriage. The poet’s casual and unhurried observation of the countryside slides into a disdainful report of the working class weddings and this scornful attitude is later replaced by an enlightened pondering of the sights he has witnessed. The poet dons several personas throughout the poem; from a nonchalant observer he transforms into a disinterested spectator and finally to a sage commentator. The gradual transformation of the poet’s attitude becomes an extended metaphor for one’s changing perceptions of life.

The “I” of the poem almost becomes an extension of Larkin himself and it seems as if he is addressing the reader directly rather than adopting one of his poetic personas. Harvey Hallsmith comments that, “ ‘The Whitsun Weddings’ seems the only poem where Larkin lets himself be directly involved with his fellow-men without the distancing shield of a persona. By the end of the poem, ‘we’ has taken over from ‘I’ or, rather, ’I’ has become blended with ‘we’ ” (77-78). Larkin’s description of the countryside also becomes very personal and it brims with images of his idealised England. The idyllic landscape is thoroughly enjoyed by the poet and the sudden intrusion of civilisation in the guise of the wedding parties jars the poet’s sensibilities and this distaste is mirrored in his scoffing remarks about their appearances and mannerisms. Larkin here occupies the vantage point of the middle class intellectual whose “finer sensibilities” are rudely disrupted by the bustling masses. The annoyance of the poet is clearly enunciated in phrases like “mothers loud and fat” and “an uncle shouting smut.” It is almost as if the poet wishes to remain aloof from this rigmarole of emotional displays that he feels alienated from. However, the use of ‘we’ later on suggests that the poet accepts the bond of their shared humanity as he says, “We hurried towards London.”

The most remarkable aspect of “The Whitsun Weddings” is its shifting tones and the diverse nuances it deploys. The poem begins with an almost conversational ease that sets the tone for an anecdotal rendering. Soon the casual tone changes to one that is lined  with a tinge of vexation on witnessing the disruption of his serene journey. Nevertheless, the poet soon becomes a willing participant in the teeming mass of humanity before him and his tone loses its harsh edge. It attains an ironic edge as he muses about the institution of marriage from a bachelor’s perspective. But as the poem draws to an end the tone again shifts to a reconciliatory one that endows the poem with a subtle poignancy.

And as the tightened brakes took hold there swelled A sense of falling, like an arrow-shower Sent out of sight, somewhere becoming rain.

As the poem comes to a close the poet juxtaposes the imagery of war (“an arrow shower”) that signals death with the image of rain, one that hails fertility and rejuvenation. The poet’s disapproval of the institution of marriage is suggested emphatically when he views the newlyweds with a strange apathy as they symbolise an aspect of life that he is unfamiliar with. The casual disregard of marriage and its aftermath is seen in the way the poet outlines the monotonous life that the couples will soon lead. He feels that marriage is an unceremonious closure to a life of adventure as the married couples do not seem to think of “the others they would never meet.” He implies that there is “a sense of falling” associated with marriage and the negative image is re-emphasised. However, in a dramatic shifting of tone, he suddenly brings forth the image of rain and the poem closes on a note of ambivalence as the final image is one that holds the potency of life as contrasted with the earlier weariness. The monotony is suggestively washed away by the fresh gust of rain and Larkin surprises the reader with this abrupt reversal of tone and sense.

An Arundel Tomb

In “An Arundel Tomb” Larkin explores the themes of mortality and the inevitable passage of time. He masterfully analyses the parameters of earthly love and its significance in human life. The poem is said to be inspired from Larkin’s visit to the tomb of the Earl of Arundel. The sculptures of the Earl and his Countess capture the poet’s fancy and the poem tries to speculate on the transience of Time. The specific detailing of the medieval tomb in the initial stanzas later gives way to a philosophic analysis of larger issues concerning life. However, Larkin underscores the fact that nothing, not even human passions remain static. Everything is in a state of constant flux and it is futile to seek permanency in all aspects of life. Even the dictums set by a particular society will be cast aside as a new age dawns. The socio-cultural norms that we hail as sacrosanct are always subject to an endless array of changes. When the poet comments on how succeeding generations have viewed the tomb and how their process of signification has radically altered through the ages, we realise how meaning is moulded by the act of interpretation. With the passage of time, the meaning that the creators of the tomb had originally intended gets lost in the annals of history.

The poet remarks on how the swift and ruthless passage of time has blurred the  minute details of the sculptures but the gesture of love symbolized by their entwined hands become a testament of their fidelity and love. However, the poet ironically wonders whether the Earl and the Countess had intended such a prolonged display of fidelity. An emphatic and ostentatious display of power and wealth is thus re-interpreted as a romantic ideal of love. The poet says:

. . . and to prove

Our almost-instinct almost true:

What will survive of us is love.

Larkin sarcastically comments on how “a sculptor’s sweet commissioned grace”is transformed into a romantic ideal. The entwined hands might have been a gesture of love created by the sculptor’s fancy, but as time passes, this becomes the most distinguishing feature of the sculptures. The poem thus draws attention to the vagaries of interpretation. By casually mocking the ideal of romantic love, Larkin re-emphasises his role as a sceptic observer of the great drama of human life.

Going, Going

“Going, Going” is an evocative poem that mourns the destruction of England’s beautiful landscapes. From a nostalgic rendering of his ideal England, Larkin progresses on a prophetic note when he outlines the destruction that is yet to follow. Though the poem has an innocuously conversational tone, the sheer desolation that Larkin conjures through his words shakes the reader into awareness. The note of disillusionment and impending doom is sustained till the very end of the poem. Larkin’s sarcastic comments on the escapist tendencies of people when confronted with a disaster (“We can always escape in the car”) provides a sort of dark humour. Even when the tone is humorous, the subject matter draws the reader’s attention with its urgency.

“Going, Going” becomes a testament to Larkin’s “England”, an ideal that is slowly razed down by the emerging New England. The poet becomes somewhat hostile in his indictment of the agents of modernization who have propagated the new ideal. He is sad and yet helpless to stop the onslaught of technological evolution. He lingers on his image of England; one that he cherishes:

And that will be England gone,

The shadows, the meadows, the lanes,

The guildhalls, the carved choirs.

The poetic persona says that after the passage of “the shadows and the meadows” one will be left behind with “concrete and tyres.” Thus the poem takes on the tone of an elegy; a song of mourning for the poet’s ideal England. Nevertheless, Larkin’s irony and humorous presentation does not turn the poem into a vitriolic accusation. Rather, it takes on the form of a casual reminder that draws our attention to an ecological calamity. Larkin’s genius lies in the fact that even while discussing such a serious issue, he refrains from adopting a preachy tone. The self-deprecating humour that he adopts becomes a more powerful device than a lengthy sermon. “Going, Going” is hailed as a typical specimen of the Movement as it cherishes an idyllic image of England that Larkin held dear.

Aubade

Larkin’s “Aubade” gives voice to one of man’s oldest fears: the dilemma of death. As the morning dawns, the speaker is not comforted by the pristine beauty of Nature, instead he is haunted by visions of “unresting death.” An aubade is a morning love song which celebrates the notions of love and life. However, Larkin’s “Aubade” defies convention by its dark and dreary subject matter and persistent tone of pessimism. With his characteristic prosaicness, Larkin proceeds to outline the bleary routine of human life. The thought of death thus becomes a jolt of awareness; a tremor that causes humans to stop and think about the futility of their existence. The poet is aware that there is nothing original about this relentless question. It has been haunting men from time immemorial and no one has been able to answer it in a satisfactory manner.

Making all thought impossible but how

And where and when I shall myself die.

Arid interrogation: yet the dread

Of dying, and being dead,

Flashes afresh to hold and horrify.

Larkin reveals his scepticism when he talks about how religion offers to tempt us with the lure of false promises. The poet believes that these wise lies will merely aggravate our fear of death than calm our minds. He claims that religion is a manipulative tool that tries to distract us with specious doctrines. Instead of deluding ourselves with such escapist beliefs, the poet urges one to face life as it comes. In its merciless critique of institutionalised religion, “Aubade” closely echoes “Church Going”. However, the poet does not reaffirm his faith in the emotional significance of religion as he does in “Church Going”.

Death is an inevitable part of life and one cannot escape from its clutches and so the poet feels that it is only practical to go on with the comforting routines of life. These routines mask our fear of death and one gets engaged in the hurried and mechanical motions of everyday living. “Aubade” throws light on Larkin’s preoccupation with the theme of death. As Peter Hollindale aptly says, “ . . . Larkin’s poetry is dominated by the longest perspective of all: death. And in this event he is not the spectator, not the accidental sharer, but a helpless co-participant in the universal private fate” (59). The poet warns us that death is lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on us as the time approaches. However, in the meantime, human beings continue to enact the repetitive drama of their quotidian existences.

Mr. Bleaney

“Mr. Bleaney” is a poignant commentary on the inescapable monotony of modern  life. Mr. Bleaney’s life of loneliness is seen from the perspective of the narrator who might face a similar fate in his future. The life of Mr. Bleaney serves as a warning to the speaker who understands that the drabness of such an existence can wipe away all traces of his individuality. The narrative like style of the poem highlights the commonality of Mr. Bleaney and emphasiseshow such lives are forgotten in the mundaneness of everyday life. The sparse and frayed appearance of the room used by Mr. Bleaney is suggestive of his character as well. There are millions like him, lost in the quagmire of life and the poet seems to be making a commentary on the tedious monotony of human life.

Bleaney’s idiosyncrasies (“preference for sauce to gravy”; “plugging at the four aways”) are all drowned in the drabness of his life. The narrator is confused as to how to place an individual like Mr. Bleaney. If he lived such an unremarkable life, should he deserve anything more? He is unable to make up his mind and says:

That how we live measures our own nature,

And at his age having no more to show

Than one hired box should make him pretty sure

He warranted no better, I don’t know.

The “I don’t know” resonates with the narrator’s self-doubt and agony. He realises that he cannot be an arbitrary judge of Mr. Bleaney’s existence as he might be leading the same drab and uninformed life that he had been so callously dismissive of. The speaker is nonplussed by this stark realisationand this bewilderment is reflected in his telling phrase, “I don’t know”. Bleaney thus becomes a striking symbol of the vulnerability of the precarious modern existence.

 Conclusion: Larkin’s Legacy

Larkin is still fondly remembered as a great poet because of his outstanding ordinariness as a writer that went on to become his trademark. He cast no pretensions and gave no airs, but believed ardently in the simplicity of poetry. Andrew Gibson comments that, “Larkin cast himself as a resolutely ordinary and unpretentious poet” (9). His allegiance to the ordinary people makes him a different literary persona; one who has aggressively cultivated the image of an “anti-intellectual poet.” Such an image is enhanced by his poems which celebrate the perspective of the common English man. Larkin refused to make any intellectual claims for his poetry and this unassuming nature brought him closer to the people. And it is this popularity which will ultimately sustain his reputation in years to come.

Reference

• Booth, James. Philip Larkin: Life, Art and Love. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Print. Brennan, Maeve. The Philip Larkin I Knew. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2002. Print. Day, Roger. Philip Larkin. Milton Keynes: Open UP, 1976. Print.
• Hamburger, Michael. Philip Larkin: A Retrospect. London: Enitharmon P, 2002. Print. Lerner, Laurence. Philip Larkin. Devon: Northcote, 2005. Print.
• Regan, Stephen, ed. Philip Larkin. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1997. Print. New Casebook Ser.
• Rossen, Janice. Philip Larkin: His Life’s Work. Iowa: U of Iowa P, 1989. Print.
• Timms, David. Philip Larkin. New York: Barnes, 1973. Print.