Model Answer
0 min readIntroduction
Philip Larkin, often categorized as a ‘Movement’ poet, is renowned for his unflinching portrayal of post-war British life, characterized by a pervasive sense of disillusionment and existential angst. While frequently labelled a nihilist – a belief in the ultimate meaninglessness of existence – a closer examination of his poetic output reveals a complex interplay between despair and a tenacious, almost desperate, urge to create. This apparent contradiction is encapsulated in the statement, “I think the impulse to preserve lies at the bottom of all art.” Larkin’s work, therefore, can be understood not as a surrender to nothingness, but as a defiant construction of meaning *against* it, a building up of fragile structures in the face of inevitable decay.
Nihilism and its Manifestation in Larkin’s Poetry
Nihilism, as a philosophical stance, denies objective meaning, value, and truth. In Larkin’s poetry, this manifests as a profound skepticism towards grand narratives – religion, love, progress – and a focus on the mundane, the transient, and the ultimately futile nature of human endeavor. Poems like “Church Going” (1955) demonstrate a loss of faith and the questioning of traditional institutions, while “Aubade” (1960) confronts the terror of mortality and the absence of any comforting afterlife. The poem’s opening lines, “Starving the glamour off dawn’s grey light,” immediately establish a bleak and unromanticized view of existence.
The Impulse to Preserve: Memory and Experience
Despite this nihilistic undercurrent, Larkin’s poetry is deeply concerned with preservation. He doesn’t simply document the void; he meticulously records and attempts to fix fleeting moments, memories, and experiences. This is evident in poems like “The Whitsun Weddings” (1964), where the observation of multiple weddings becomes a desperate attempt to find meaning in the commonplace and to arrest the passage of time. The detailed descriptions of the train journey and the wedding parties aren’t merely observational; they are acts of preservation, attempts to hold onto something before it disappears.
Art as a Bulwark Against Nothingness: Form and Technique
Larkin’s formal choices also contribute to this impulse to preserve. His use of traditional forms – quatrains, regular rhyme schemes – provides a sense of order and structure in a chaotic world. This deliberate craftsmanship can be seen as a resistance to entropy, a conscious effort to impose form on formlessness. The precise language and careful attention to detail in poems like “High Windows” (1974) are not simply aesthetic choices; they are acts of defiance against the inevitable decay and dissolution that Larkin so acutely perceives. The poem’s concluding lines, “Rather than trade a lifetime of regret / For an afterlife of mild surprise,” demonstrate a preference for the tangible, flawed reality of existence over the illusory promises of transcendence.
The Preservation of Feeling: Love and Loss
Larkin’s poems about love and loss, while often tinged with pessimism, are also powerful attempts to preserve the intensity of human emotion. “An Arundel Tomb” (1960) is a poignant meditation on the enduring power of love, even in the face of death. The poem’s detailed description of the effigies of the Earl and Countess of Arundel suggests a desire to immortalize their relationship, to rescue it from the ravages of time. Similarly, poems dealing with parental loss, such as “This Be The Verse” (1971), are not simply expressions of grief; they are attempts to understand and preserve the memory of those who have passed away. The blunt, almost brutal honesty of the poem is itself a form of preservation, a refusal to sentimentalize or idealize the past.
Table: Contrasting Nihilistic Themes and Preservative Impulses in Larkin’s Poetry
| Nihilistic Theme | Preservative Impulse | Example Poem |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of Faith | Recording of fading traditions | Church Going |
| Fear of Mortality | Detailed observation of everyday life | The Whitsun Weddings |
| Disillusionment with Love | Immortalizing love through art | An Arundel Tomb |
| Acceptance of Suffering | Honest expression of grief and loss | This Be The Verse |
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Philip Larkin’s poetry is undeniably marked by a profound sense of nihilism, it is a mistake to view him as simply a poet of despair. The statement that “the impulse to preserve lies at the bottom of all art” is central to understanding his work. Larkin actively constructs meaning against the void, preserving memory, experience, and feeling through meticulous observation, formal control, and unflinching honesty. His poetry is a testament to the enduring human need to create, to find order in chaos, and to resist the inevitable pull of nothingness, even in the face of its ultimate triumph.
Answer Length
This is a comprehensive model answer for learning purposes and may exceed the word limit. In the exam, always adhere to the prescribed word count.