Philip Larkin and English Poetry

By Terry Whalen

Book Overview

Philip Larkin and English Poetry is a practical criticismof Larkin's poetry which discusses the poet's views on poetryas they are made visible in his prose writings and his interviews andthe relationship between his thoughtful critical writings and his ownpoetry. Larkin's affinities with a series of other English poets(including Dr. Samuel Johnson, D.H. Lawrence and the Imagists and TedHughes, Thom Gunn, and R.S. Thomas) which have been overlooked byprevious critics are referred to. Terry Whalen provides close readingsof the individual poems that will appeal to both the first-time readerof Larkin's works and those who are seasoned readers of one ofEngland's finest poets. Whalen stresses the depth and integrity of the 'other'Larkin, the poet of beauty and of witness who explored the world ofobservation with a hunger for meaning and a sense of wonder whichearlier reviewers and critics have tended to ignore.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0774802324
• ISBN13: 9780774802321
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Univ of British Columbia Pr
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"
• Age Range: 22 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher