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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... sounds fair trend-spotter's comment), the book may hold sufficient historical interest to justify republication. But again, if it is true, I feel bound to say that it was unintentional. In 1940 our impulse was still to minimize social ...
... sounds fair trend-spotter's comment), the book may hold sufficient historical interest to justify republication. But again, if it is true, I feel bound to say that it was unintentional. In 1940 our impulse was still to minimize social ...
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... sound from a worn sound - track on Saturday afternoon in the ninepennies . The young man's reaction was immediate . Clutching his chest in a rictus of agony , he threw one arm up against the archway and began slowly crumpling downwards ...
... sound from a worn sound - track on Saturday afternoon in the ninepennies . The young man's reaction was immediate . Clutching his chest in a rictus of agony , he threw one arm up against the archway and began slowly crumpling downwards ...
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... sound . There was not much live jazz to be heard at Oxford in those days until the Oxford University Rhythm Club was set up in 1941 and provided public jam sessions , but on the advice of Frank Dixon I had found a number of scarce ...
... sound . There was not much live jazz to be heard at Oxford in those days until the Oxford University Rhythm Club was set up in 1941 and provided public jam sessions , but on the advice of Frank Dixon I had found a number of scarce ...
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... sound of traffic receded a little . He recognized the quadrangle ( for he had been there once before ) and looked about him . I must ask the porter where my room is , he told himself to quell his rising bewilderment , that is the first ...
... sound of traffic receded a little . He recognized the quadrangle ( for he had been there once before ) and looked about him . I must ask the porter where my room is , he told himself to quell his rising bewilderment , that is the first ...
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... sound would become casually familiar to him in a very few days . In this inner quadrangle silence was almost complete , only broken by the sound of a gramophone playing distantly . He wondered who the Founder was and who Mr. Warner was ...
... sound would become casually familiar to him in a very few days . In this inner quadrangle silence was almost complete , only broken by the sound of a gramophone playing distantly . He wondered who the Founder was and who Mr. Warner was ...
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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