This Be the Verse

With its theme of the unhappiness of the family unit and the general misery of life, “This Be The Verse” can be seen as a typical Larkin poem. So many of Larkin’s first-person speakers do not expect much from life; they view it as a dull and ordinary thing that has to be quietly endured. They are not foolish enough to nourish ideals about love or try to cultivate any deep sense of value or purpose in life. Nor do they much seek to shape it by force of will. It is life itself—with its inexorable, impersonal force—that shapes them rather than the other way around. Therefore, there is little point in trying to be adventurous.

As for Larkin himself, he was not happy as a child. His father, Sydney Larkin, could be quick-tempered and dogmatic in his views. For example, in the 1930s, he expressed his admiration for Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. However, he was enthusiastic about English literature, and this rubbed off on his son. He also supported Larkin’s interest in jazz, on one occasion buying him a set of drums. Larkin’s mother, Eva Larkin, was docile, dominated by her husband, and she did her best to run the household in a way that pleased him.