A Study On The Post-war Identity Crisis In Philip Larkin’s Poetry

Philip Larkin(1922-1985)is one of the most important English poets after WWII.His poems are well received for their nuanced depictions of Britain.Researchers at home and abroad have interpreted Larkin’s poems from different perspectives,such as comparative study,Englishness and so on.However,few researchers have paid attention to the post-war identity crisis reflected in Larkin’s poems,which leaves some space for this thesis.The thesis writer,through a detailed reading of Larkin’s poetry(four poetry collections and those unpublished poems in his lifetime)and previous studies,in combination with the post-war British social background,explores the theme of a post-war identity crisis by using theories including cultural geography,narratology,etc.This thesis analyses how the identity crisis manifests in Larkin’s poems when the previous identity is under attack and Larkin’s response to this identity crisis.Identity crisis is an inevitable issue with the advent of globalization.Britain used to be called the empire on which the sun never sets.However,the empire no longer exists because the colonies declared their independence and Britain’s status was greatly reduced after WWII.The British identity crisis inevitably presents in the face of these subversive changes,and the thesis writer argues that this identity crisis is fully embodied in Philip Larkin’s poetry.The identity crisis in Larkin’s poetry is manifested in three aspects.The first chapter mainly discusses the dissolution of self-consciousness and the desire for a sense of belonging in poems,which fully suggest the poet’s anxiety toward an identity.The dissolution of self-consciousness is reflected in the sense of Unheimliche,the change of identity,and the image of death,while the description of “home”,“loneliness”,and “strangeness elsewhere” reflects the poet’s desire for belonging.The two world wars made Britain’s economic and political power decline sharply.In the face of such subversive changes,the British could not help feeling anxious about “self”.The second chapter mainly discusses the poet’s uneasiness for “the Other” and Britain’s declining status.This uneasiness is embodied in a stereotype image of “the Other”,nostalgia for the past empire and disappointment for the reality of Britain.This thesis writer argues that this is also a manifestation of an identity crisis,and at the same time,it is the poet’s rethinking of identityBased on the first two chapters’ analysis(from anxiety to a rethinking of identity),the third chapter mainly discusses that the poet’s call for a return to indigenousness is actually his release to the identity crisis.Based on cultural geography,this thesis writer analyses the description of “local landscape”,“traditional culture and customs” in this chapter and points out that Larkin aims to determine the identity,establish the national image,and release the British identity crisis after WWII.Therefore,through the detailed analysis of Larkin’s poems,this thesis reveals Larkin’s unremitting efforts to release the identity crisis.Furthermore,it points out that we should attach great importance to our own traditions under the tide of globalization.This thesis has its significance and enlightenment on how to deal with the increasingly common identity crisis with the advent of globalization.