A textual analysis of Philip Larkin's Poems: The Case of High Windows

Abstract

This End of Degree Dissertation focuses on Philip Arthur Larkin, one of the post-war twentieth-century English authors, particularly on his life and work as a poet and on the textual analysis of some of his poems. The main purpose of the project is to analyse three of the poems included in his well-known collection High Windows. In order to do so, I will first present a general overview of Larkin’s life as well as of the social and cultural background in which he flourished as a poet. This cultural background was especially marked by the idiosyncrasies of the post-war period and the so-called "Movement”, which was an essentially English artistic movement characterised by the search for a simple yet dignified and profound in meaning poetry. With the aim of better understanding the poetry of Larkin in this context, I have analysed three of the poems in High Windows. This analysis has been made on the basis of his literary production and the influence of other poets and authors of the period who somehow contributed to define his own poetic style.

Este Trabajo de Fin de Grado se centra en Philip Arthur Larkin, uno de los autores ingleses de posguerra del siglo XX, particularmente en su vida y obra como poeta y en el análisis textual de algunos de sus poemas. El principal objetivo del proyecto es analizar tres de los poemas incluidos en su conocida colección High Windows. Para ello, presentaré primero una visión general de la vida de Larkin, así como del entorno social y cultural en el que floreció como poeta. Este contexto cultural estuvo especialmente marcado por la idiosincrasia del período de la posguerra y el llamado "Movimiento", que era un movimiento artístico esencialmente inglés caracterizado por la búsqueda de una sencilla pero solemne y profunda poesía. Con el fin de comprender mejor la poesía de Larkin en este contexto, he analizado tres de los poemas de High Windows. Este análisis se ha realizado en base a su producción literaria y la influencia de otros poetas y autores de la época que de alguna manera contribuyeron a definir su propio estilo poético.