Love Songs in Age

Love Songs in Age


Key terms

A moment recollected in tranquillity
Involuntary Memory
Tradgedy of mature reality
Failure of romantic ideals

Poetry of thought
Poetry of regret
Forward looking/backward looking


A lot of thinking gets done in Larkin’s poems: a lot of his characters are trapped temporarily or caught by a moment ,an imagining or a memory.

QUESTIONS

• Can you summarise what actually happens in the poem?
  
  What details do we learn of the woman’s life?
  
  At what point does the ‘involuntary memory’ occur?
  What prompts this?
  What does the detailing on the imagery of the record sleeves tell us about the woman?
  
  
  What does the detailing on the auditory-imagery of the actual music suggest about the values of the music/youth? What does the music sound like?
• 
  What imagery does the poet attach to these sounds?
  
  How is love described? Did it fulfil its potential?
  The tragic finale: what does she do with the records? Why?
  
  
  When did she first play the records?
  
  Details of the memories:
  
  ‘The certainty of time laid up in store / as when she played them first’
  
  Tragic lessons learned.
  
  
  
  THEMES
  
  There’s a point in your life where your ‘time balance’ tips; there is more behind you than after you
  Love and old age are not compatible.
  Love is youth.
  Love is the solution to our problems.
  Love is promised to everybody; it is ours to accept or deny.
  Love is an opportunity that, when it arrives, we must take firmly.
  Certain objects are associated with love.
  You will always remember your first love.
  
  
  
  Letter to a lost lover. Write about what provoked the letter and regrets.
  
  
  Technique cute and brilliant, skilled rhyme.
  Regret theme – wild oats