MCMXIVPhillipLarkin

WorldWarI,initsmessage,hasaresonancebeyondtwentieth
centuryexperience.IthasliteraryparallelsMiltonsParadiseLost
andBlakesSongsofInnocenceandExperience.Throughthemit
repeatsoneofthefundamentalnarrativesofChristianity:thefall
frominnocenceintheGardenofEden,andabasicpsychological
patternofmaturingfromnavechildhoodtodisillusionedadult
hood.Fromhismeditationonanoldphotographofmenwaiting
toenlistinWorldWarI,Larkinrecapitulatesoneofthemosten
duringstoresofWesternculture,thestoryoftheinevitablemove
mentfromidyllicnaivetetodisappointedexperience.Inasimilar
way,DylanThomasperceptivelytouchesonthismatterinhis
poemARefusaltoMourntheDeath...ofaChildinLondon:After
thefirstdeath,thereisnoother.

"MCMXIV"(1914)isapoemwrittenbyEnglishpoetPhillip
Larkin.ItwasfirstpublishedinthebookTheWhitsunWeddingin
1964.Thepoemissetinthe1914Englandasmenprepareto
leavetheirhomesandfightintheFirstWorldWar.Itisregarded
asoneofLarkin'sbestknownpoems.
LikeallofLarkinspoems,MCMXIVischaracterizedbyclear
straightforward,unadornedlanguage.Larkinisthebestknown
andmostsuccessfulofagroupofBritishpoetsfromthe1950s
knownasTheMovement(alongsideRobertConquest,Kingsley
AmisandDonaldDavie).Allpoetsusedplain,directlanguage,
whichwasdeliberatelychoseninrejectionoftherich,melodic,
metaphoriclanguageofDylanThomasandthedense,allusive,
intellectuallanguageofT.SElliot.Larkin,likeotherMovement
authors,workedwithinanarrowemotionalrange,ironicallynot
ingthepainanddrearinessofeverydayexperiencethatmustbe
accepted.

Form:MCMXIVisapieceinthestyleofJohnDonne(particularly
hisproseworkMeditations)Itbeginswithadescriptionofan
object,aplaceoranevent.Thedescriptionleadsdirectlyintoa
responseoraconsiderationoftheissues,problems,andcomplexi
tiessuggestedbytheobject;thisconsiderationthenleadstoa
conclusionorresolution.
Inseveralinstances,Larkincleverlyusestheformtoecho
eventsinthepoem.Inabroadsense,thefreeverse(withnorigid
metreorrhymingscheme)natureofthepiecemayechothefree
dom(nevertobereclaimed)ofthepreWorldWar1society.
Onespecificexamplewouldbe(whendepictingmenwaitingto
signup)whenLarkinusesthelineAsiftheywerestretchedout
side.Tomimictheweavingqueue,Larkinstretchestheline:the
formandthelanguageusedinconjunctioncreatetheimageof
meneagerlyawaitingwhattheybelievedajustwar.

Imageryandstructure:
Theimagesofthepoem,likethelanguage,areclearandstraight
forward.Theymoveinaneverexpandingpattern.Thefirststanza
limitsitselftotheactualcontentofthephotography:theappear
anceofthemenstandinginline.Stanza2movesjustoutsidethe
pictureitselftoprovidedetailsabouttheneighbourhoodandthe
recruitingoffice.Oneseestheadvertisementsinshopwindows,
thechildrenplaying,thepubs.Nextonemovesoutsidethecityto
thefieldsandthemanorhouses.AllofEnglandisdrawnintothe
picture.Finally,inthelaststanza,thelardersignificanceofthe
sceneisstated;atthesametime,thepoemreturnstotheindivid
ualmeninthephotograph,eachwithhisowntidygardenand
marriage.
Language:Thepoembeginswithmenstandingpatientlyinline,as
theymightwaittogainadmissiontoasportingevent(atThe
OvalorVillaPark)oranAugustBankHolidaylark.Theholiday
isinAugust,sinceAugust4th,1914,wasthethatEnglanddeclared
warontheCentralPowers.ThesceneLarkindescribesisholiday
like:Theshopsareclosed,butthepubsareopen.Childrenare
playing;themeninlinearegrinning.Nooneyetsuspectsthehor
rorsthatWorldWarIwillbring.
Stanza3movesontoacountrysidescene.Commonlyinpoetry,
bucolic,pastoral,idyllicprewarEnglandiscontrastedwiththe
horrorsofEuropeantrenchwarfare.ThereforeLarkinsmeditation
oninnocenceincludessuchpastoralreferences:thecountryside
notcaring,floweringgrassesandfields.Significantly,thegrass
andwheatfieldscoverplacenamesandpropertylines,muchas
theywouldlatercoverthegravesandnamesofthefivemillion
Alliedcasualtiesofthewar.
Alsorecalledasbackgroundtothephotographandthewar
experienceistheorderlyclassstructureofprewarEngland:The
differentlydressedservants/Withtinyroomsinhugehouses.
Manyauthors,suchasMadoxFordinhisParadesEndnovels
(19241928),wroteaboutmenfromallsocialclasses,contentin
theirseparationbeforethewar,whosuddenlyfoundthemselves
fightingsidebysideinthetrenches:therigidclasssystemwas
lost.

Neversuchinnocenceisthepoetsinterpretativeconclusion.
Theprewarworldchangeditselftothepastandcouldneverbe
recaptured.Thephotographshowsalargecrowdofmenwillingly,
happilyvolunteeringforthewar.Theyweredoingtheirdutyas
wellasheadingoffforanadventure,neverimaginingthemisery
anddestructionaheadofthem.Whilethepoemdoesnotdescribe
thebattlefields,theideaoflostinnocencebringsintothepoem
WorldWarIasdescribedbythosewhoexperiencedit.The
trenches,mud,rats,barbedwire,tanks,snipers,poisongas,gre
nadesandairattacks(vividlydescribedinWilfredOwenspoetry)
wereyetunimaginedhorrors.Thewardestroyedallfantasiesof
warasaglorious,heroicadventureplayedoutonorderlybattle
fieldsbygentlemen(inbeingthefirstsaiddirtywar):Never
suchinnocenceagain.
ThemesandMeanings:
Theuseofmetonymyisnotableinthesecondandthirdstanzas.
Thetermscrownsofhatsandkingsandqueensaresuggestive
ofroyalty,almostasiftheoccasionwereacauseforcommunal
celebration.ThismaybeanironicimplementationonLarkinspart
toshowthatinreality,thelossofaheritageshouldbemourned
yetatthetimeitwasunwittinglycelebrated.
Thereareseveralinstancesoflanguagebeingusedinaporten
tousmannerdarkclothedchildrenandShadowingDomes
daylines.Thisforeshadowsthesepulchralenvironmenttocome
duringwartime.Evenmorestrikingandevocativethanthisisthe
useofimageryinthefinalstanzathemen/Leavingthegardens
tidy,/Thethousandsofmarriages/Lastingalittlewhilelonger.
Themen,withpreenedgardens,trulybelievedtheywouldreturn
totheirhomesandwivesinnotimeatall.Thisemotesdespairas
amodernreader,beingwellawareofthehomesandlivesthat
werecrushedbythelossofthemalefigure.
Thedecorousandorderlymenwholineduppatientlytoenlist
inAugustof1914weretohavetheirfaithinorder(eventheir
faithinGod)seriouslyshakeninthetrenchesofEurope.Their
worldhadchanged,andromanticismgavewaytocynicismand
despair.