Philip Larkin

LitCharts guides for works by Philip Larkin

Explore LitCharts poetry guides for works by Philip Larkin. Each guide offers line-by-line analysis, exploration of poetic devices, and helpful resources for studying Philip Larkin's poetry.

A Study of Reading Habits

"A Study of Reading Habits" was published in Philip Larkin's popular third collection, The Whitsun Weddings (1964). The poem's speaker describes how reading once offered him an escape and seemed to... view guide

Afternoons

"Afternoons" appears in Philip Larkin's collection The Whitsun Weddings (1964). The poem presents a melancholy portrait of families at a playground, centered on "Young mothers" who have transitione... view guide

An Arundel Tomb

"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. In t... view guide

Church Going

First published in The Less Deceived in 1955, "Church Going" remains one of Philip Larkin's best-known poems. Its speaker casually visits an empty church, a place he views with skeptical irreverenc... view guide

Coming

The British poet Philip Larkin published "Coming" in his 1955 book The Less Deceived. The poem's speaker describes what it's like to watch spring slowly reawaken the surrounding world, as a small s... view guide

Dockery and Son

In "Dockery and Son," Philip Larkin takes a characteristically bleak look at a midlife crisis. The poem's speaker, a middle-aged Englishman, attends a memorial service for his old university friend... view guide

Home Is So Sad

"Home Is So Sad" appears in Philip Larkin's 1964 collection The Whitsun Weddings. The poem describes the sadness of visiting home after an extended time away—and more generally, the sadness of the ... view guide

MCMXIV

Philip Larkin's "MCMXIV" looks back on England in the year 1914, creating an evocative snapshot of life just before the horrors of the First World War. Young men line up to enlist in the army, chil... view guide

Money

British poet Philip Larkin wrote "Money" during the aftermath of the 1973 financial crash, which caused massive inflation and increased consumer borrowing in the form of credit cards and loans. The... view guide

Mr Bleaney

Written in 1955 and published in the 1964 volume The Whitsun Weddings, Philip Larkin's "Mr Bleaney" deals with loneliness, deprivation, and the fear of wasting one's life. The speaker rents a dingy... view guide

Next, Please

"Next, Please" appears in Philip Larkin's 1955 collection The Less Deceived. Bluntly pessimistic, the poem offers an extended metaphor for human beings' unrealistic hopes and dreams: our "bad habit... view guide

Poetry of Departures

Philip Larkin published "Poetry of Departures" in his 1955 collection The Less Deceived. With characteristic humor and cynicism, the poem dismisses the fantasy of chucking it all and starting a new... view guide

Talking in Bed

A well-known poem from Philip Larkin's The Whitsun Weddings (1964), "Talking in Bed" paints a pessimistic portrait of long-term love. Its speaker broods over the tense silences they and their roman... view guide

The Trees

The British poet Philip Larkin included "The Trees" in his book High Windows, which was published in 1974. The speaker sees spring's budding trees as "a kind of grief." The speaker says that this i... view guide

The Whitsun Weddings

"The Whitsun Weddings" was written by British poet Philip Larkin and first published in his collection The Whitsun Weddings in 1963. The poem recounts the speaker's train journey from the east of E... view guide

This Be The Verse

The British poet Philip Larkin published "This Be The Verse" in 1971. The poem is about the way that parents pass their flaws and emotional complications on to their children, who in turn pass thei... view guide

Water

The speaker of "Water," by the English poet Philip Larkin, imagines being "called in" to create a new religion. This religion would involve multiple rituals centered around water: wading through wa... view guide