Realism in Poetry Aubade by Philip Larkin

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Realism in Poetry Aubade by Philip Larkin

In this essay we are going to talk about realim based on a poetry by Philip Larkin. The title of the poetry is Aubade. Before we talk about it, let’s indentify first about the poetry.

Aubade was published at 1977. Larkin has a style in write a poetry that is he always write with an ordinary, colloquial style, clarity, a quiet, reflective tone, ironic understatement and a diretc engagement with commonplace experiences, also in this poetry (Aubade) Larkin given a clarity and commonplace experience.

This we will tells about realism. “Realism was by no means a uniform or coherent movement; a tendency toward realism arose in many parts of Europe and in America, beginning in the 1840s.” (Habib, 2005), and this may can any connection with the poetry Aubade by Philip Larkin that published at 1977.

Aubade is poetry which tells about a death that will come to all people. ”And where and when I shall myself die. Arid interrogation: yet the dread Of dying, and being dead” (Aubade, line 7-9), in this line whe know that the death will come to people without we know when and where. Also “This is a special way of being afraid, No trick dispels. Religion used to try,”(Aubade, line 21-22), Larkin storngly showing that in this poetry used element religious.

In poetry Aubade, Larkin also want to tell that people can not hide or escape from the death.” Slowly light strengthens, and the room takes shape. It stands plain as a wardrobe, what we know, Have always known, know that we can't escape”(Aubade, line 41-43), here Larkin want to show that when the death was come, we can look our new place, and here Larkin used an object a coffin to vison that new place that poeole who grave in coffin is can not escape.

In dictonary Oxford realism is practicability attribute .................... . but Harris (2011) cleary assumes  in his web that realism is a politics philosophy that places a human into situation that always afraid his safety and make to competiting wit another. Realism focus on base character of human that gets egoist character, and brave to do whatever to reached their behalf each. Habib (2005) adding that the most general aim of realism was to offer a truthful, accurate, and objective representation of the real world, both the external world and the human self. realism also is a broad and multipronged reaction against the idealization, historical retrospection, and the imaginary worlds seen as characterizing Romanticism.

If we look to Larkin life, he also is people who follow a realsim, like Larkin marry his wife Pasty Strang, that Pastry Strang leaving her husband for married with Larkin, and from this we know that Larkin also is realism follower, because Larkin may do everything for marry with Strang until Starng leaving her husband for married with Larkin. Larkinn also add the  element of realism in his poetry (Aubade) like ” I work all day, and get half-drunk at night” (Aubade, line 1) in this one Larkin was showing a realism, because in that citation we know he can do everything for what he want, and the sentence “I work all day” is can not happen if he is not a realism follower.

In England, realism had in varying degrees informed the numerous types of novel – political, historical, religious – which had been written by major figures such as Thackeray and Dickens during the nineteenth century.(Habib, 2005), from this we know the realism is known in England at nineteenth century, and one of them tells about religious, and Larkin in poetry Aubade has a connection with religious like, “Making all thought impossible but how, And where and when I shall myself die.”(Aubade, line 6 and 7),from this citation Larkin showing that people can die, and the death is has connected with religious.

Selden and friend (2005) strongly argued that the most familiar type of ‘motivation’ is what we usually call ‘realism’. No matter how formally constructed a work may be, we still often expect it to give us the illusion of the ‘real’. In poetry Aubade, Larkin also input some motivation to reader like, “It stands plain as a wardrobe, what we know, Have always known, know that we can't escape, Intricate rented world begins to rouse.” (Aubade, line 41,42,46), this citation can motivated people for do not busy with their world, people also have to think about their death that will come and their can not doing anything when the deat is come.

References:

Habib, M. A. R. 2005. Modern Literary Criticism and Theory a History. Blackwell Publishing.

Selden, Raman. Widdowson, Peter. Brooker, Peter. 2005. A Reader’s Guide to

Contemporary Literary Theory. Pearson Longman.

Harris, Hannan. 2011. Realisme. “http://hannan-fisip11.web.unair.ac.id/artikel_detail-42730-Umum-realisme.html” accessed at Saturday march 23^th .