Continuity between the creative work of the English line poets Edward Thomas and Philip Larkin against the backdrop of the familiar landscape
Talyzina Elena Viktorovna
Samara University of Public Administration “International Market Institute”
Submitted: 07.08.2024
Abstract. The research aims to demonstrate the continuity between the creative work of two 20th-century British poets, Edward Thomas (1878-1917), known during his lifetime as a literary critic and author of biographies and books on rural life, and Philip Larkin (1922-1985), within the so-called English line of poetry (the national, ancestral tradition that began to be singled out in opposition to modernism, when re-examining the history of the development of 20th-century English-language poetry), particularly regarding the familiar landscape in their works as the setting for poems and a means of psychological support. The paper conducts a comparative analysis of the works of both poets in this aspect. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that in Russia, where Thomas’s writings are little known, his influence on later poets and his connection with them has not yet been considered. As a result, the paper reveals that Thomas and Larkin consciously arrived at the ancestral English tradition, and many features of their creative work link them to this tradition. Notably, since Larkin was familiar with Thomas’s work, it may have directly influenced him. Regarding the familiar landscape, despite its changes over time, both poets were able to find support and spiritual enlightenment in it, as well as a source of patriotism.
Key words and phrases: Эдвард Томас, Филип Ларкин, английская линия в поэзии, преемственность между творчеством поэтов, привычный пейзаж в поэзии, Edward Thomas, Philip Larkin, English line in poetry, continuity between the work of poets, familiar landscape in poetry
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