Description
In this incisive and meditative poem, an older speaker observes the sexual freedom of a younger generation and confronts his own mixture of envy, bewilderment, and self-awareness. Philip Larkin explores the shifting social and moral codes of the 1960s, questioning whether liberation brings fulfillment or simply replaces one set of constraints with another. Moving from blunt, provocative language to a strikingly contemplative closing image, the poem considers generational change, religious doubt, desire, and the elusive meaning of freedom. Its coolly analytical voice and sudden expansiveness exemplify Larkin’s distinctive ability to turn ordinary observations into unsettling philosophical reflection.
Available Editions
paperback
Farrar Straus & Giroux
Published Jan 1, 1983
ISBN: 9780374512125
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Details
First Published
1974
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for High Windows by Philip Larkin.