High Windows

“Annus Mirabilis” by Philip Larkin (1963)

Composed a few years before “High Windows,” this poem also takes on the sexual revolution as its subject. While “High Windows” begins with its shocking language about sex and the speaker’s reflection on the sexual revolution, the poem departs from this focus to turn to religion and other cultural shifts. Instead, “Annus Mirabilis” provides a poem-length focus on the topic of cultural changes toward sex in the 1960s. This is a great poem to pair with “High Windows,” as they express similar sentiments, each fleshing out the other.

“The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy (1900)

Hailing from the generation before him, Thomas Hardy is undeniably Larkin’s poetic ancestor. Hardy’s poetry utilizes traditional verse forms, tends toward rhetorical clarity, and often expresses a Larkin-esque pessimism. Perhaps his most famous poem, “The Darkling Thrush” demonstrates all these features of Hardy’s work. It is difficult to imagine Larkin without Hardy, and this poem well illustrates their connection.

“This Be The Verse” by Philip Larkin (1971)

Although written years later, this poem appears alongside both “High Windows” and “Annus Mirabilis” in Larkin’s collection High Windows (1974). Another of Larkin’s most famous texts, “This Be The Verse” also concerns itself with generational change and the ongoing generational cycle of death and rebirth.