Larkin-Pavese

““Man stands face to face with the irrational. Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.” the unreasonable silence of the world.” ― ― Albert Camus, Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

Neo-Realism and Post War traumaThe Post War Writer’s PTSD*

Death and Loss – an obsessive theme in poetry.

The concept of death as natural as life Reality as hard earned, brutal – life is

violent Inevitable and permanent – no religious

illusions Hard. Pure. Violent in his delving into the

depths of humanity. Proposes universal truths - antimodern, but authentic and brutally honest.

Cesare Pavese – 9 Sept. 1908 – 27 Aug. 1950

Philip Arthur Larkin – 9 Aug. 1922 – 2 Dec. 1985

Quote: Beckett, Hardy and Larkin and successive poets - Death and Loss – a common theme in poetry.The concept of death as natural as lifeReality as hard earned, brutal – life is violent Beyond the grave is a blank nothingnessnothing more terrible, nothing more true. The alliterative “t”

*Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Aubade I work all day, and get half-drunk at night.   Waking at four to soundless dark, I stare.   In time the curtain-edges will grow light.   Till then I see what’s really always there:   Unresting death, a whole day nearer now,   Making all thought impossible but how   And where and when I shall myself die.   Arid interrogation: yet the dread Of dying, and being dead, Flashes afresh to hold and horrify.

The mind blanks at the glare. Not in remorse   —The good not done, the love not given, time   Torn off unused—nor wretchedly because   An only life can take so long to climb Clear of its wrong beginnings, and may never;   But at the total emptiness for ever, The sure extinction that we travel to And shall be lost in always. Not to be here,   Not to be anywhere, And soon; nothing more terrible, nothing more true.

This is a special way of being afraid No trick dispels. Religion used to try, That vast moth-eaten musical brocade Created to pretend we never die, And specious stuff that says No rational being Can fear a thing it will not feel, not seeing

Song to the Dawn1) Death is immanent (essential-innate{inherent}) and 2) Imminent (forthcoming.. Not if … but when – looming above-at any

moment)Song to the morning – (Aubade – conv. love song, or dialogue between lovers)

but Larkin‟s silent partner in this dialogue-monologue is not a lover (comfort), but “unresting death” l.5.

• Death- a source of fear and fright in life.“__ the dread Of dying, and being dead,Flashes afresh to hold and horrify.” (Aubade) • Death- a perpetual vehicle for our journey into eternity.“The sure extinction that we travel toAnd shall be lost in always. Not to be hereNot to be anywhere,” (Aubade)• Death gives chances to think and calculate our life and its activities.“__ The good not done, the love not given, timeTorn off unused__” (Aubade)

Death according to Larkin

• Rationality is not quite enough in facing the dread of death but it is our only safeguard.

“No rational being Can fear a thing it will not feel.” (Aubade)HOWEVER • Death has - “ __no sight, no sound,No touch or taste or smell, nothing to think with,Nothing to love or link with.” (Aubade)The fear of death and facing the moment with courage.

“Courage is no good:It means not scaring others. Being braveLets no one off the grave.” (Aubade)It is pointless, and in fact, when we are caught off guard or alone, we recollect the awesome fear :

“realization of it rages outIn furnace-fear when we are caught withoutPeople or drink.”….

“Death is no different whined at than withstood.”

The reality of its existence is all the same, whether we accept it stoically or drop in prayer and abjection

Death Will Come And Will Wear Your EyesDeath will come and will wear your eyes –the death that is with usfrom morning to evening, sleepless,deaf, like an old regretor an absurd vice. Your eyeswill be a futile word,a cry unspoken, a silence.Thus you see them every morningwhen alone you stoop over yourselfin the mirror. O sweet hope,that day we too will knowthat you are life and nothingness.

Death keeps an eye on each of us.Death will come and will have your eyes.It will be like giving up a vice,like watching a dead facere-emerge in the mirror,like listening to a lip closed.We will go down into the gorge mute.[22 March 1950]

Verrà la morte e avrà i tuoi occhi- questa morte che ci accompagnadal mattino alla sera, insonne,sorda, come un vecchio rimorsoo un vizio assurdo. I tuoi occhisaranno una vana parolaun grido taciuto, un silenzio.Così li vedi ogni mattinaquando su te sola ti pieghinello specchio. O cara speranza,quel giorno sapremo anche noiche sei la vita e sei il nulla.

Per tutti la morte ha uno sguardo.Verrà la morte e avrà i tuoi occhi.Sarà come smettere un vizio,come vedere nello specchioriemergere un viso morto, come ascoltare un labbro chiuso.Scenderemo nel gorgo muti. [22 March 1950]

Attributes to “Picture” Death

“Unresting”; “the total emptiness”; “the sure extinction”; “nothing more terrible,

nothing more true.”

“The anesthetic from which none come round.”

“__stays just on the edge of vision. A small unfocused blur, a standing chill.”

“__ the solving emptiness” unfocused blur plain as a wardrobe

Looming, “sleepless”; “deaf”; “an old regret, … and absurd vice.” “you are life and nothingness” Vigil A liberation, “like giving up a vice” “ like watching a dead face

re-emerge in the mirror,like listening to a lip closed.” (an old memory or a private thought from a long time before)

? An old friend

Rummaging in our souls, we often dig up something that ought to have lain there unnoticed. ” ― Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Larkin emphasizes the attitude typical of an agnostic(?).

Death – not a gateway to heaven.Death is the ultimate truth – so to that end … our lives and activities are absurd (Albert Camus). The absurd is lucid reason noting its limits

What What to do … ? Myth of Sisyphus? (jubris)- to dareto dare

ORDelve into that fear, down into the belly of the whale, and miraculously re-emerge safe, whole, and healed? (Jonah)

Larkin offers some hope … Larkin offers some hope … Our love, deeds and attitudes are immortal.

“Only an attitude remains”

“What will remain of us is love” (An Arundel Tomb) =^.^=