Larkin’s Travelling Spirit : The Place, Space and Journeys of Philip Larkin

This book examines Larkin’s evocation of place and space, along with the opportunities for self-discovery offered by the act and thought of travel. From his canonical verse to his lesser-known juvenilia and dream diaries, this title unveils a new Larkin; a man whose religious, political and ontological affiliations are often as wide-ranging and experimental as the very form and symbolic licence used to express them. Whether exploring Larkin’s fondness for deictics (‘pointing’ words, like here/there), his fascination with death, or his interest in the sexual opportunities of an itinerant lifestyle, this monograph provides fresh critical approaches bound to appeal to established Larkin scholars and newcomers alike. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction (Alex Howard)....Pages 1-20 Daydreams and Night Dreams: The Oneiric Informants Behind Larkin’s Evocation of Contemporary and Mythological Englands in The North Ship (Alex Howard)....Pages 21-43 A ‘Modern’ Flâneur: Larkin’s Journeys and the Travelling Spirit (Alex Howard)....Pages 45-70 War and Weather: Memory, Symbol and Estrangement in A Girl in Winter (Alex Howard)....Pages 71-100 Staring Death in the Eye: Deictics, Spacing and Growing Old in High Windows (Alex Howard)....Pages 101-127 Back Matter ....Pages 129-131