High Windows

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1974

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Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

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Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

“Annus Mirabilis” by Philip Larkin (1963)

Composed a few years before “High Windows,” this poem also takes on the sexual revolution as its subject. While “High Windows” begins with its shocking language about sex and the speaker’s reflection on the sexual revolution, the poem departs from this focus to turn to religion and other cultural shifts. Instead, “Annus Mirabilis” provides a poem-length focus on the topic of cultural changes toward sex in the 1960s. This is a great poem to pair with “High Windows,” as they express similar sentiments, each fleshing out the other.

“The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy (1900)

Hailing from the generation before him, Thomas Hardy is undeniably Larkin’s poetic ancestor. Hardy’s poetry utilizes traditional verse forms, tends toward rhetorical clarity, and often expresses a Larkin-esque pessimism. Perhaps his most famous poem, “The Darkling Thrush” demonstrates all these features of Hardy’s work. It is difficult to imagine Larkin without Hardy, and this poem well illustrates their connection.

“This Be The Verse” by Philip Larkin (1971)

Although written years later, this poem appears alongside both “High Windows” and “Annus Mirabilis” in Larkin’s collection High Windows (1974). Another of Larkin’s most famous texts, “This Be The Verse” also concerns itself with generational change and the ongoing generational cycle of death and rebirth. The poem is a good example of Larkin’s more explicit use of end rhyme, giving the poem an almost nursery rhyme feel. The poem uses the shock value of profanity, like “High Windows,” and possesses the famous Larkin pessimism.

Further Literary Resources

Philip Larkin: A Writer’s Life by Andrew Motion (1993)

This biography from British poet and scholar Andrew Motion is both the first biography published about Larkin and, arguably, the most important. The book examines Larkin’s life, his literary influences and connections, and examines the features of his work. In the recent re-issue, Motion has written additional material that detail his personal relationship with Larkin as both a friend and colleague.

“Remembering the Movement, and researching it” by Frank Kermode (1980)

This scholarly article published by British literary critic Frank Kermode in The London Review of Books offers more information on The Movement and Larkin’s involvement in it. As a piece of scholarship published only a couple of decades after the existence of The Movement, this article provides a unique and thorough examination of the impact and importance of a literary movement through which the scholar himself lived. As an added bonus, it is free to read online.

Philip Larkin by Robert C. Evans (2016)

For a comprehensive, academic approach to Larkin’s entire body of work, Evans's “Philip Larkin” is a thorough reader’s guide. Evans chronologically structures his guide, providing in-depth analyses of Larkin’s work decade by decade. The latter part of the book focuses on varying approaches to Larkin’s work—both popular and academic—charting how they changed and developed with time.

Listen to Poem

Philip Larkin reads “High Windows”

This recording—oddly paired with photos though it may be in the video—is high quality audio of Larkin reading his own work. The expressiveness with which Larkin reads the lines helps clarify the poem’s sardonic wit.