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 |
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... tried too hard turn nasty . The highest academic compliment I received as an undergraduate was " Mr. Larkin can see a point , if it is explained to him ” . During these first two terms our friends were mostly outside College ; Norman ...
... tried too hard turn nasty . The highest academic compliment I received as an undergraduate was " Mr. Larkin can see a point , if it is explained to him ” . During these first two terms our friends were mostly outside College ; Norman ...
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... tried to read . But at one o'clock he had grown desperate and had slunk along to the lavatory , where he locked himself in and bolted a few of his sandwiches before a furious rattling at the door made him cram the rest out of the ...
... tried to read . But at one o'clock he had grown desperate and had slunk along to the lavatory , where he locked himself in and bolted a few of his sandwiches before a furious rattling at the door made him cram the rest out of the ...
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... tried to stand very erect and militarily . Then he thought this was silly , and tried to adopt a nonchalant pose ... trying to obscure the pause that had been broken by holding out her cup childishly . " Me , Chris , me . Oo , do ...
... tried to stand very erect and militarily . Then he thought this was silly , and tried to adopt a nonchalant pose ... trying to obscure the pause that had been broken by holding out her cup childishly . " Me , Chris , me . Oo , do ...
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... trying some balancing trick. He had hoped that at least there would always be his own room, with a fire and the curtains drawn, where he could arrange his few books neatly, fill a drawer with his notes and essays (in black ink with red ...
... trying some balancing trick. He had hoped that at least there would always be his own room, with a fire and the curtains drawn, where he could arrange his few books neatly, fill a drawer with his notes and essays (in black ink with red ...
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... tried to sit reading the quietness rang in his ears, making him grow tense for the least sound. He fancied he could even hear the electric light burning. Time crawled by at an intolerably slow speed, every minute seeming four times as ...
... tried to sit reading the quietness rang in his ears, making him grow tense for the least sound. He fancied he could even hear the electric light burning. Time crawled by at an intolerably slow speed, every minute seeming four times as ...
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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