The Whitsun Weddings
by Philip Larkin
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Philip Larkin (1922-1985) remains England's best-loved poet - a writer matchlessly capable of evoking his native land and of touching all readers from the most sophisticated intellectual to the proverbial common reader. The late John Betjeman observed that 'this tenderly observant poet writes clearly, rhythmically, and thoughtfully about what all of us can understand'. Behind this modest description lies a poet who made greatness look, in Milton's prescription, 'simple, sensuous and show more passionate'. This collection, first published in 1967, contains many of his best-loved poems, including The Whitsun Weddings, An Arundel Tomb, Days, Mr Bleaney and MCMXIV. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
These poems have a very down-to-earth and modest clarity, in the way they describe such ordinary events and lives with beauty and sympathy. Larkin's observations make the ordinary seem extraordinary. The poem 'The Whitsun Weddings' describes a train journey from Hull (I think) to London, on a hot Saturday, where at each passing station, newlyweds are boarding the train and the wedding parties waving them off. It describes the common, ordinary details of weddings: the emotion, the gaudy outfits, the embarrassing family, but also the strangely epic nature of marriage and the course it sets people on together: 'this frail/ Travelling coincidence; and what it held/ Stood ready to be loosed with all the power/ That being changed can give.'
My show more copy, frustratingly, has the page with 'Talking in Bed' missing, so I've had to read that elsewhere, and I like to think that it was carefully taken out and gifted to someone, & maybe it even saved a relationship. show less
My show more copy, frustratingly, has the page with 'Talking in Bed' missing, so I've had to read that elsewhere, and I like to think that it was carefully taken out and gifted to someone, & maybe it even saved a relationship. show less
I have read Larkin's poetry before, but I'm pretty sure it's been individual poems in anthologies rather than an entire collection of his. The reason I picked this one up now was to get a book by an author who works or worked in a library for a reading challenge. And I loved the rhythms and flow of these poems.
I studied this collection of poetry for the first year of my A level and despite initial reluctance, I found myself enjoying the colourful language and distinctive imagery.
The poems describe a variety of experiences, ranging from the graduation into old age to the impossibility of love.
Many critics accuse Larkin's work of unrelentless pessimism and I would be inclined to suggest that this is apparent amongst this collection aswell as his previous collection, The Less Decieved.
However, this is almost part of Larkin's charm and often helps to emphasise the emotional aspects of either his life or one of his characters.
Personally, I would recommend this book to others who enjoy reading for reflections of life, or if you are intrigued to show more learn more about the poet, Larkin.
There are many sites which allow you to access his poetry for a taster and I highly recommend: Arundel Tomb, Afternoons, The Whitsun Weddings, Love songs In Age and Mr Bleaney.
Thanks
Lucy show less
The poems describe a variety of experiences, ranging from the graduation into old age to the impossibility of love.
Many critics accuse Larkin's work of unrelentless pessimism and I would be inclined to suggest that this is apparent amongst this collection aswell as his previous collection, The Less Decieved.
However, this is almost part of Larkin's charm and often helps to emphasise the emotional aspects of either his life or one of his characters.
Personally, I would recommend this book to others who enjoy reading for reflections of life, or if you are intrigued to show more learn more about the poet, Larkin.
There are many sites which allow you to access his poetry for a taster and I highly recommend: Arundel Tomb, Afternoons, The Whitsun Weddings, Love songs In Age and Mr Bleaney.
Thanks
Lucy show less
I'm not really a big fan of poems but had to study this... better than Dannie Abse which I also had to study.
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441 works; 40 members
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Author Information
60+ Works 6,917 Members
Philip Larkin was a British poet, novelist, critic, and essayist. Born in 1922 in Coventry, England, he graduated from St. John's College, Oxford, in 1940 and then pursued a career as a librarian, becoming the librarian at the University of Hull in 1955. Although he led a retiring life and published infrequently, producing only one volume of show more poetry approximately every 10 years, Larkin was still considered one of the preeminent contemporary British poets. He is often associated with the "Movement," a 1950s literary group that, through the use of colloquial language and common, everyday subjects, endeavored to create poetry that would appeal to the common reader. However, this association came about mainly because Larkin's poem "Church Going," for which he first gained critical attention, was published in New Lines, an anthology of the "Movement" poets. In reality, his work, particularly his later poems, is not typical of the group. Larkin's published a total of only four volumes of poetry: The North Ship (1945), The Less Deceived (1955), The Whitsun Weddings (1964), and High Windows (1974). He also wrote two novels, Jill and A Girl in Winter, and published two volumes of prose, Required Writing and All That Jazz, a collection of his reviews of jazz records. Philip Larkin died in 1985. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1964
- Disambiguation notice
- The Whitsun Weddings is a collection of Larkin's poems. There is also an individual poem in the collection with the same title, so take care when combining or making work-to-work relationships.
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Statistics
- Members
- 769
- Popularity
- 36,564
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.08)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 13
