The+Study+of+Reading+Habits

By: Philip Larkin (1922-1985)

When getting my nose in a book Cured most things short of school, It was worth ruining my eyes To know I could still keep cool, And deal out the old right hook To dirty dogs twice my size.

Later, with inch-thick specs, Evil was just my lark: Me and my cloak and fangs Had ripping times in the dark. The women I clubbed with sex! I broke them up like meringues.

Don't read much now: the dude Who lets the girl down before The hero arrives, the chap Who's yellow and keeps the store Seem far too familiar. Get stewed: Books are a load of crap.

Philip Larkin was born on August 9th, 1922, in England to two healthy parents. In his childhood, Larkin’s poor vision and stuttering rendered him the victim of his classmates’ taunts. It is thought that his life of solitude began here. In high school, he contributed to his school magazine, and in 1940 he enrolled at Oxford to study English literature. Larkin’s very poor eyesight and his failed medical exams kept him out of World War II. Instead of witnessing war on the battlefield, Larkin was able to watch as the war transformed the English landscape and people. His literary works reflected the sights and sounds around him and were often characterized by their despondency, hopelessness, and solitude. His realism is thought to have attracted his vast audience, although Larkin himself never enjoyed the spotlight and rejected countless interview requests. For most of his life, he worked as a librarian, writing during the night. Throughout his lifetime, he was given a multitude of awards, including the German-Shakespeare Preis (1976) and the W.H. Literary Award (1984). He was additionally offered the opportunity to succeed Sir John Betjeman as Poet Laureate in 1984, but declined because of the media attention of such a position. In 1985, Larkin was admitted to the hospital with cancer. He died less than 6 months later, at the age of 63.
 * Author Biography**

__**T**hemes __ Misinterpretation of Literature Escapism __**I**magery __ Visual Diction __**M**eter __ 3 Stanzas Rhyme Speaker __**E**motion __
 * TIME**
 * Larkin analyzes how books and literature can be used irrationally or improperly to disillusion the reader or make them believe they are something bigger, better, and unreasonable.
 * First, Larkin is able to find relief in books; he is able to escape his tormentors by throwing himself into the imaginary world of literature. In the middle stanza, Larkin escapes his reality by transforming into the morbid heros he used to read about. In the final stanza, Larkin concludes that the only real form of escapism is alcohol; books offer no consolation and are merely disillusioning.
 * “nose in a book”
 * “inch-thick specs”, “cloak and fangs”
 * “the dude… lets the girl down”, “the hero… keeps the store”
 * “worth ruining my eyes”
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“cured most things”
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">First stanza: Reading was a sacrifice, one Larkin was more than willing to make because of its benefits.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“ripping times”
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“women I clubbed with sex”
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Second stanza: Larkin transformed into a gruesome character, searching for an escape from reality through sex now.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“get stewed”
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“books are a load of crap”
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Third stanza: These phrases are very direct and to the point. Larkin wants to make his point clear without any room for (mis)interpretation.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These three stanzas very clearly break the poem into the three parts of Larkin’s life. Each stanzas carries a distinct tone.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ABCBAC / DEFEDF / GHIHGI
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The unclear rhyme scheme contributes to the theme of disillusionment throughout the poem. Upon reading the poem for the first time, readers realize the poem has rhymes, but their organization is not easily discernible.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The personal pronouns “I”, “my”, and “me” suggest that Larkin, the poet, is the speaker.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The poem begins with optimism and concludes with a pessimistic realism, separated clearly by three stanzas.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Philip Larkin Biography." Poetry Foundation. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“A Study of Reading Habits.” All Poetry. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Biography.” The Philip Larkin Society. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Philip Larkin: Life, Art, and Love. The Times. (image)
 * Works Cited**