Context for Larkin

Question 1

Larkin’s personal life

Answer 1

Larkin’s life was marked by a complex relationship with love, loneliness, and anxiety. He was often wary of emotional commitment, and his poetry reflects this ambivalence toward relationships and personal connections.

Question 2

Larkin’s career

Answer 2

Larkin’s career as a librarian at the University of Hull was central to his life. The routine and structure of his professional life contrasted with the often dark and existential nature of his poetry. The world of books, libraries, and knowledge influenced his poetic voice, which often includes a sense of quiet observation and reflection on everyday life.

Question 3

Larkin’s relationships

Answer 3

Larkin’s relationships with women were often troubled, marked by a certain emotional distance and inability to fully connect. His poetry reveals both attraction and fear of intimacy. His poetry reflects a consistent tension between desire and the limitations of human connection, often exploring the idea of frustrated love or unfulfilled emotional needs.

Question 4

Larkin’s post-war context

Answer 4

Larkin wrote during a time of post-war reflection in Britain, and much of his work addresses the disillusionment of the post-war generation. The sense of a changing social landscape, loss of faith, and a search for meaning in a seemingly indifferent world is apparent in much of his work. His collection The Whitsun Weddings (1964), for example, addresses themes of love, class, and the passage of time against a backdrop of changing social mores.