JillA young man from Northern England struggles to find a sense of belonging at Oxford University during WWII in this “brilliant” novel by a literary icon (The Times). John, who’s never traveled far from his northern town of Huddleston, finds himself an undergraduate at Oxford University in 1940. A shy, insecure working-class young man, he is awed by his confident, careless roommate and yearns to fit in, clumsily pursuing a girl from a wealthy family. But as his efforts fail, he retreats further into a dream world in this early novel by Philip Larkin, who would go on to become one of the most celebrated poetic voices of postwar Britain. “Provides a revealing portrait of Oxford and the English class system as it existed during World War II . . . Mr. Larkin’s gift for using landscape as a mirror of an individual’s emotions is very much in evidence.” —The New York Times Includes an introduction by the author |
From inside the book
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... pockets . Friends remained plentiful , but contemporaries were becoming scarce . I lost touch with the freshmen , among whom it was reported there was " a man called Wain " . Years afterwards John told me that our acquaintance at this ...
... pockets . Friends remained plentiful , but contemporaries were becoming scarce . I lost touch with the freshmen , among whom it was reported there was " a man called Wain " . Years afterwards John told me that our acquaintance at this ...
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... pocket- money for two weeks, but as recording a vanished mode of Oxford life itself. Christopher and his friends would not now have to bother about wearing gowns, or fear molestation by the Proctors when on licensed premises, nor would ...
... pocket- money for two weeks, but as recording a vanished mode of Oxford life itself. Christopher and his friends would not now have to bother about wearing gowns, or fear molestation by the Proctors when on licensed premises, nor would ...
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... pockets of his cheap blue overcoat. The lapels of it curled outwards and creases dragged from the buttons. His face was thin, and perhaps strained; the expression round his mouth was ready to become taut, and a small frown lingered on ...
... pockets of his cheap blue overcoat. The lapels of it curled outwards and creases dragged from the buttons. His face was thin, and perhaps strained; the expression round his mouth was ready to become taut, and a small frown lingered on ...
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... pockets of his jackets hanging behind a curtain were empty, but the clothes bore the tab of a tailor in London and John felt the cloth and the leather buttons with interest. His two drawers were not enlightening: as well as the shirts ...
... pockets of his jackets hanging behind a curtain were empty, but the clothes bore the tab of a tailor in London and John felt the cloth and the leather buttons with interest. His two drawers were not enlightening: as well as the shirts ...
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... pocket ) that said that she hoped he had made some friends " of his own standing ” . With a gust of indignation he realized that she meant people like Whitbread . “ Of course , the College takes a number of fellows like him to keep up ...
... pocket ) that said that she hoped he had made some friends " of his own standing ” . With a gust of indignation he realized that she meant people like Whitbread . “ Of course , the College takes a number of fellows like him to keep up ...
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Common terms and phrases
afternoon asked beer began bottle bowler hat Chris Christopher Warner Christopher's cigarette College Crouch d'you damn dark desk door drink Eddy's Edward du Cann Elizabeth empty eyes face feel felt fire fountain pen gave Gavin Bone girl glass gone grinned hair Hallo hands head Higher School Certificate Huddlesford Jill Joe Kemp John heard John Kemp John looked John's Junior Common Room knew Lamprey laugh laughter leaving letter light listened looked round mind Minerva morning mouth never night noticed overcoat Oxford Patrick Patrick Dowling paused pocket porter pulled pushed remember seemed sherry glasses sitting smiled smoke sofa sound stared stood stopped street suddenly talking teacake Thank there's things thought took town trying turned Tutor voice walked watched Whitbread window wondered