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Analysis and comments on Vers De Société by Philip Larkin

Comment 10 of 10, added on May 24th, 2007 at 5:09 AM.

Hey...this comment's for this year's exam which is tomorrow! Just wanted to comment on the ending of this poem...I feel it's quite creative on Larkin's part to say that he merely whispers his approval of the invitation. It reinforces his idea that he has to pretentiously aspire to social conduct and norms...but the fact that he's ashamed almost comes through when he speaks in hushed tones to accept the invitation.

hmm from United Kingdom
Comment 9 of 10, added on May 28th, 2006 at 5:34 AM.

Vers de societé means a poem about society, un vers is a verse in a poem

lina from United Kingdom
Comment 8 of 10, added on May 18th, 2006 at 4:43 AM.

I am currently studing the High Windows collection and Ver de societe is one that really stands out. It exemplifies the contradictions of Larkin which are evident in msny of his poems. On the one hand he wishes to spend his time alone..probably reading and writing yet society presses him to conform to being socialble. The title translates as "worms of company" However i understand where Joe comes from as it also is a term for social or familiar poetry. Both apply in this case and the fact he entitles the poem in french is pretencious in itself aswell as aiding his portrayal of society. The contradictions of All solitude is selfish ans virtue is social reach brilliance in the poem. as does the explicit contradiction between the first and last stanza. I LOVE LARKIN! I would also look into the struture and rhyme scheme language to see how these elements aid the poems message!!

Emmmma!!!! from United Kingdom
Comment 7 of 10, added on April 19th, 2006 at 12:07 PM.

i am currently studying larkin for A level, and have been requested to analyse this poem of his, however I am finding it very difficult!
Why has he chosen to write in italics for example. As if when writing through a persona in previous poems he wrote in italics, so maybe the rest of this poem in normal text format (not italics) is showing that, that is larkin after all. Also-what is it really about?! and Is calling the crowd of craps really insulting? Or did craps have a different meaning in that time period? please any answers or additional information, would be greatly appreciated.
S


S from United Kingdom
Comment 6 of 10, added on April 11th, 2006 at 10:43 AM.

In response to Hannah's comments i'd like to ask if she has actually studied Larkin?!?! what you must understand is that Larkin writes through a persona and is not necassarily always voicing his own interpretations or opinions in these situations he so brilliantly connects with both as a poet and a human being. To say that he has serious regrets about his life is both ignorant and wasteful. What evidence do you have to make such a statement? please read through 'high windows' again with this in mind and i have no doubt that you will see that each individual poem carries it's own message. whether it be Larkin or not, the gaps you see are what you choose to see and i am confident that many would agree with me. Morag jones x

Morag from United Kingdom
Comment 5 of 10, added on April 3rd, 2006 at 3:12 AM.

only the young have freedom!!
we waste time as we get old!
larkin has serious regrets about his past and life.
does he regret choosing life as a poet? in all his poems it is like a constant battle between poetrey and life within society! larkin wants to let go but never full opens himself up not even to us as a reader
there are many gaps in all his poems which can be filled by our own interpretation
ha xxx


Hannah from United Kingdom
Comment 4 of 10, added on February 7th, 2006 at 4:52 PM.

Thanks for the help, but that's not the problem. My keyboard is actually incapable of producing them. Neither Ctrl + Alt + E works, nor Alt + 0233. But thanks anyway...

Joe

Joe Innes
Comment 3 of 10, added on November 3rd, 2005 at 2:26 PM.

The tone of the poem is flippant and mildly ironic.
This is light poetry written with particular wit and polish intended for a limited, sophisticated audience.
You can feel the sense of upper class coming through, with the dinner parties and the quotes.
Plus, i feel Larkin is trying to express that the older we get the more we waste time doing things we don't enjoy so we can have some company.

Emma from United Kingdom
Comment 2 of 10, added on March 14th, 2005 at 12:34 PM.

Hiya joe!Thought I'd let you know how to do the e's that you wanted.
You press down "ctrl" and "alt" the same time as e
and you get "é"! You can do this with all the foreign
letters!Hope I've helped you!

louise from United Kingdom
Comment 1 of 10, added on November 10th, 2004 at 1:52 PM.

The title of this poem is "Vers de societe" which is an intelligent pun, which, translated literally, means something like "Across society", despite looking like a misspelling of "Verse de societe", which means "Verse of society". Excuse my omission of the acute accents on the e's in "societe", my keyboard is incapable of producing them.

Joe Innes from United Kingdom



Information about Vers De Société

Poet: Philip Larkin
Poem: Vers De Société
Volume: High Windows
Year: 1971
Added: Feb 20 2003
Viewed: 5711 times
Poem of the Day: Sep 20 2006


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