Why did Philip Larkin Write An Arundel Tomb?
Historical Background. Larkin was inspired to write this poem after a visit to Chichester Cathedral, where he came across this monument, dedicated to the memory of the fourteenth century Earl of Arundel, Richard Fitzalan, and his wife, Eleanor of Lancaster.
When was An Arundel Tomb written?
1956
“An Arundel Tomb” was written in 1956 by the British poet Philip Larkin. It was included as the final poem in his 1964 collection, The Whitsun Weddings, and is also one of his best known works.
Who Said What will survive of us is love?
“We must love one another or die.” These two lines—Larkin’s “What will survive of us is love” and Auden’s “We must love one another or die”—may be the most well-known lines of poetry about love written in the past century.
What type of poem is An Arundel Tomb?
It describes the poet’s response to seeing a pair of recumbent medieval tomb effigies with their hands joined in Chichester Cathedral. It is described by James Booth as “one of [Larkin’s] greatest poems”. It comprises 7 verses of 6 lines each, each with rhyme scheme ABBCAC.
What is Philip Larkin’s most famous poem?
1. ‘MCMXIV’ (1960). One of Larkin’s most famous poems, ‘MCMXIV’ has as its title the year 1914 in Roman numerals. Larkin contrasts the pre-WWI world with the world that followed soon after.
What remains of us is love Larkin?
The last line of “An Arundel Tomb” is among the most quoted in all of Larkin: “What will survive of us is love.” Its popularity can seem ironic. Larkin is mainly known for the dry eloquence of his gloom, and for the sly precision of his phrasing.
What will survive of us is love Larkin?
What is talking in bed about?
Summary. ‘Talking in Bed’ by Philip Larkin speaks on pervading loneliness and feeling of insignificance that penetrates even the most intimate moments. The poem begins with the speaker describing how talking in bed with one’s significant other should be an easy thing to do.
What is Larkins message to the readers?
In summary, Larkin’s speaker tells us that reading books used to provide escapism for him: first at school, where reading provided consolation from bullies by letting him live out his fantasies of vanquishing the school bully; then, as a young man, reading provided an outlet for living out all of his sexual fantasies.
What was Philip Larkin known for?
He was one of post-war England’s most famous poets, and was commonly referred to as “England’s other Poet Laureate” until his death in 1985. Indeed, when the position of laureate became vacant in 1984, many poets and critics favored Larkin’s appointment, but Larkin preferred to avoid the limelight.
What will survive us all is love?
What will survive of us is love analysis?
The love of which Larkin speaks, the love that makes us happier, that will survive us, and gives meaning to all our lives — that is the love that will sustain us though the coronavirus.