A 'long defence against the non-existent' : Englishness in the poetry of Phillip Larkin

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dc.contributor.advisorAnderson, Peteren_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMalec, Jenniferen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-01-06T18:47:27Z
dc.date.available2015-01-06T18:47:27Z
dc.date.issued2008en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 96-97).en_ZA
dc.description.abstractLarkin's place in the genealogy of English poetry is significant since, unlike many of his predecessors, his work lacks the hope or possibility of redemption offered by faith. Larkin countered the void created by his agnosticism by appealing to the power both of ritual and of the English landscape, and yet ultimately these attempts - although not wholly unsuccessful poetically - appear fruitless philosophically. Larkin's awareness of English society is not explicit, and yet his preoccupation with death and nothingness is inexorably linked to the political despair and religious questioning of post-war England. Through the use of the many' Englishes' of his time Larkin manages to construct a passable means by which to fill the lacuna left by godlessness. A thorough review of the critical opinion of Larkin is undertaken here, in order to sketch out the landscape of English letters and Larkin's place within, or in relation to, English poetry. His interrogation of the dominant societal structures is rigorous, and while his habit of constantly contradicting himself and his insistent ambiguity may seem to undermine his efforts, on closer inspection this lack of clarity complements his aims precisely. This dissertation will demonstrate how Larkin's use of cliche epitomises this struggle, and that in his poetry the often-assumed emptiness of such language is turned on its head. Larkin, it will be argued, deploys common English expressions as a modem substitute for the social links provided to earlier poets by means of reference to classical mythology.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMalec, J. (2008). <i>A 'long defence against the non-existent' : Englishness in the poetry of Phillip Larkin</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11599en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMalec, Jennifer. <i>"A 'long defence against the non-existent' : Englishness in the poetry of Phillip Larkin."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11599en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMalec, J. 2008. A 'long defence against the non-existent' : Englishness in the poetry of Phillip Larkin. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Malec, Jennifer AB - Larkin's place in the genealogy of English poetry is significant since, unlike many of his predecessors, his work lacks the hope or possibility of redemption offered by faith. Larkin countered the void created by his agnosticism by appealing to the power both of ritual and of the English landscape, and yet ultimately these attempts - although not wholly unsuccessful poetically - appear fruitless philosophically. Larkin's awareness of English society is not explicit, and yet his preoccupation with death and nothingness is inexorably linked to the political despair and religious questioning of post-war England. Through the use of the many' Englishes' of his time Larkin manages to construct a passable means by which to fill the lacuna left by godlessness. A thorough review of the critical opinion of Larkin is undertaken here, in order to sketch out the landscape of English letters and Larkin's place within, or in relation to, English poetry. His interrogation of the dominant societal structures is rigorous, and while his habit of constantly contradicting himself and his insistent ambiguity may seem to undermine his efforts, on closer inspection this lack of clarity complements his aims precisely. This dissertation will demonstrate how Larkin's use of cliche epitomises this struggle, and that in his poetry the often-assumed emptiness of such language is turned on its head. Larkin, it will be argued, deploys common English expressions as a modem substitute for the social links provided to earlier poets by means of reference to classical mythology. DA - 2008 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2008 T1 - A 'long defence against the non-existent' : Englishness in the poetry of Phillip Larkin TI - A 'long defence against the non-existent' : Englishness in the poetry of Phillip Larkin UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11599 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/11599
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMalec J. A 'long defence against the non-existent' : Englishness in the poetry of Phillip Larkin. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature, 2008 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11599en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of English Language and Literatureen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherEnglish Literature and Modernityen_ZA
dc.titleA 'long defence against the non-existent' : Englishness in the poetry of Phillip Larkinen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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