Although he is very popular, Larkin doesn't like to appear in public and rarely gives interviews or attends concerts. He is a librarian and writes in his spare time. Besides poetry, he also published two novels, Jill and The Girl in Winter. And two commentary collections, all jazz: a diary1961-1971), which requires writing: miscellaneous articles 1955- 1982. Larkin works in the remote Hull University, far away from the metropolitan literary circle in London. His poems reflect the dullness of other British provinces after the war, "clearly and sadly expressing the spiritual desolation of a world that abandoned the last trace of religious belief, while religion has always given people the meaning and hope of life." He wrote about his sense of failure and regret in his later years, his bumpy life and his desire for degeneration. Critics believe that Larkin's localized and colloquial expression is an important reason why readers like him.
? Britain occupies an extremely important position in Larkin's emotional area. He doesn't like traveling abroad, and he also claims that he lacks understanding of foreign literature, including most modern American poems. In his poems and articles, Larkin described his early life as "boring" and "no good life". Deep myopia and stuttering brought him a lot of trouble. He became fond of solitude, began to read widely, and formed the habit of writing poems every night. From 65438 to 0940, Larkin was admitted to Oxford University to study English literature and met Kingsley Aymis and john wayne. 1943, he graduated with first-class honors and later became a librarian in a small town in Wellington. His two novels and his first book of poetry, North Ship, were written there. 1955, Larkin worked in the library of Hull University. As a result, he worked for 30 years.
? In an interview with Paris Review, Larkin denied that he had plagiarized from his favorite poet to improve his poetry writing skills. But most critics think that the poems of Ye Zhi and Hardy have a great influence on Larkin. "North Boat" is accused of imitating Ye Zhi's poetic music, but there is no empirical basis. Hardy's works promoted Larkin's mature writing. Some critics believe that Hardy's poems are very inspiring to Larkin, which makes his writing simpler and connects his experience with emotional and environmental details. A close reading of Hardy made Larkin understand that "a modern poet can describe the life around him in the language of his society. He encouraged Larkin to use his poems to examine the reality of his life ... So Larkin abandoned the highly romantic style of "North Boat" written under the influence of Ye Zhi and began to write about the tension in daily life. " In philip larkin, Martin said that Larkin learned from Hardy: "His own life can be turned into poetry through frequent casual discoveries, and he can naturally share this experience with readers. After this lesson, (Larkin began) to believe that poetry is best based on something in the' unclear' experience, not other poems or works of art. "
? This view is similar to that of sports poets; These British writers implied in their poems and novels, and explicitly called for "the common sense return of traditional technology" in their critical articles. Martin believes that the theoretical basis of this "anti-modernism and anti-experimentalism stance" is "their concern for clarity: good writing lies in accuracy rather than obscurity ... (The movement strongly advocates) is not emotional indulgence, but a mixture of reason and feeling, objective control and subjective indulgence. In their view, the previous generation of writers, especially poets, lacked an honest and realistic attitude towards themselves and the outside world. " Larkin agreed with the poetics of the Movement School and fulfilled the creed of the Movement School better than other members. Whether out of praise or criticism, many theorists often single out Larkin as the representative of the discussion. Brownjohn believes that Larkin's superb skills and dexterity in adjusting his oral mode to meet the requirements of strict form cannot be highlighted at once; His strength as a craftsman is increasingly regarded as a sign of his talent. "
The craftsman strength and skill shown in Larkin's mature works have won unanimous praise from literary critics. Hamilton wrote: "(Larkin) can adapt to the rigorous pace and rhythm with the tone of dialogue, and his ears are absolutely sensitive to the possibility of iambic poetry." La Jinshan uses meter and rhyme to achieve special effects. His language is never dull, unless it is intentional, and his wording is very personal. In order to find more accurate words, he often goes beyond the boundaries of literature, such as using slang and even swearing. Larkin's best poems are rooted in practical experience, often with places, environments, people and events, thus giving the poet a sense of reality when observing the scene. In addition to careful social observation, Larkin's control of intonation conversion and expression of emotional development are all manifestations of his superb skills. His language is easy to understand, even if he expresses contradictory and complicated feelings, it is not difficult to understand. Bell pointed out that Larkin's poems are "accurately embedded in the traditional structure ... full of melancholy facts of shrinking, vulgarity and narrowness in England in the 1970s."
Although Larkin's style is traditional, the theme comes entirely from modern life. According to Press, Larkin's works "explore our reaction mode to the environment, describe the ups and downs of our emotions, and reflect the unique mentality of our time: doubt, insecurity, boredom, aimlessness and inexplicable uneasiness." With limited life comes forgetting, which can be seen everywhere in Larkin's poems. His works talk about disappointment, disillusionment of romantic fantasy, people's failure due to lack of time and themselves, and discuss how dreams, hopes and ideals are ruthlessly shrunk by the reality of life. For Larkin, life is dull. The more life experiences, the more confident you are. The "gold prize" in life is an illusion (Brownjohn).
Larkin frankly reveals many evasive behaviors, which makes readers face life reality and death naked. Some critics think that he is a detached and sarcastic bystander and rarely involves himself in his poems; His poems record and reflect "the imperfect experience of poets and readers on dull life fragments." The poet himself once said, "If I am popular, I think it is because I have written unpleasant experiences … deprivation and loss are to me what daffodils are to Wordsworth."
Some critics also think that Larkin's poems are pessimistic about human existence, and even have a desire to get rid of experience, which is also an affirmation of human nature. Larkin is honest about the phenomenon of pleasure and beauty. He once said that a poem "represents the poet and the reader's control over pessimism and depression even in an instant, so that everyone can continue." There are moments of beauty and affirmation, but when one realizes that there are countless self-deception in life, it is difficult to have such an experience again.
? Larkin has always believed that poets should write what they have deep feelings about life. Poets should write real experiences and communicate with readers. He believes that modernist experiments have caused unnecessary estrangement between readers and artists. Poets should be close to readers, trust readers, and concretize many puzzling problems, instead of just being discussed by scholars with abstract labels. Many readers really find Larkin's poems easy to understand, interesting and traditional. For Larkin, creativity lies not in the change of expression, but in the difference of expression content.
? "There are many enviable things in [Larkin's] best works: firm and exquisite rhythm, clear geographical environment, and the consistency of mutual promotion between language expression and musicalization." (Sydney) Larkin "makes the most common things and occasions have a chilling bitterness, and the boredom of daily life contrasts with the narrowness and various possibilities of feeling." (Shapiro)
? 1974 Soon after the publication of High Window, Larkin stopped writing poems. In the obituary of the Observer, Kingsley Aymis described the poet as "a very introverted and self-centered person, who became more and more deaf to the outside world after middle age, cruelly highlighting his isolation." Although Larkin's works are few, people feel the ability of poetry to reflect the world today. "Larkin found the best voice to express our deepest fears." (Garfield) This kind of voice is local and can move the British people most. Perhaps because of this, his poems are very popular in Britain, and his readers come from all walks of life. Even after his death, they are still very popular. Larkin "spoke in the most understandable language about the deep self-doubt given to the British people by this century." (Sullivan)? (Compiled by Wei Dai)