Wh Auden Research Paper

W. H. Auden: Making Nothing Happen

“A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us” (Auden). W. H. Auden wrote poetry reflective of the unstable and dynamic world he was living in during the mid twentieth century. His poetry, greatly impacted by his experiences and worldview, ushered in a whole new era of poetic power dubbed the “Auden Generation.” Throughout his life, Auden changed his writing style he changed with the world. In his youth, his sheltered and distracted life led him to romantic poetry, but after his time in Germany during World War II, his poetry became satirical and laden with social commentary. Auden’s writing truly reflects the world’s shift in philosophy during World War II, which was largely affected by Auden’s

life and times. His life shaped his poems, his poems shaped the world, and the world shaped his life. Through his poignant life, his powerful writing, and the ripples his writing caused for years to come, Auden changed the course of thinking of many global generations.
Born seven years before World War I, Auden was immersed into an ever changing world from a young age, a theme that followed him throughout his life.

February 21st, 1907 in Yorkshire, England, Wystan Hugh Auden was born to an anglo-saxon, Catholic family, which was filled with science. His father was a doctor and his mother was a nurse, and, being the third of three sons, was frequently forgotten and lacking in attention. (Poets) Largely without purpose, Auden attended private college with the intention of becoming a mining engineer or biologist. However, in 1922, Auden found his calling in poetry. In the next two years, Auden had published his first poem and began attending Oxford University in 1925. Through Oxford, Auden studied abroad in Germany and fell in love with the German language, which influenced him greatly and his poetic style. He soon thereafter went to Scotland to become a school teacher, but was dissatisfied with his life. Auden continued writing poetry, publishing a few books, but did not pursue it as he previously had. (Carpenter) He then married Erika Mann, daughter of German novelist Thomas Mann. However, this marriage was never consummated; the union was only created to provide Erika Mann with a British passport. Auden was in a homosexual relationship with Chester Kallman in 1939, but their “marriage” ended in 1941 when Kallman refused to provide Auden with the faithful relationship he demanded. The two continued to live together and work on opera until Auden’s death in 1973 in Vienna, Austria (Auden

Society).
Dubbed “T. S. Eliot's successor” (Britannica), Auden wrote with the elegance of Eliot and Yeats, with the social commentary of Twain. Auden’s early work mirrored the lilting romanticism of Wordsworth and Hardy, but after being introduced to Eliot, Auden adopted his own extreme version of his style. His first collection, titled Poems was published in 1928, hand written by Stephen Spender. Shortly after, Auden wrote his first tragic farce titled Paid on Both Sides, which was published in 1930 with the second edition of Poems. These works incorporated Auden’s idea of “family ghosts” or the impact of one’s previous generations on their life. Auden’s next phase involved strong, left wing ideals, coining him as “The Hero of the Left.” Influenced by Robert Burns, Auden published The Orators in 1932, which was full of revolutionary ideas of open love and a change in heart. The Dance of Death was published in 1933, which bordered on Marxism, which was a continuous theme in Auden’s subsequent collaborations with Isherwood. (The Age of Anxiety) As World War II ravaged Britain and Berlin, Auden began his third phase with an American citizenship and a new view on his work. Searching his personal philosophy and theology in the face of war, he became more introspective, publishing several long poems; The Age of Anxiety, possibly his best known work, earned him the Pulitzer Prize in 1948. Until 1957, Auden continued to write reflective, albeit shorter, poems. His fifth and final phase revolved around aging and timelessness, which resulted in several opera librettos and a few more philosophical and dark poems, ending with the unfinished Thank You, Fog, which included his final poem, “Archeology.” (Biography in Context) From ballad to haiku, romance to militarism, Auden shaped the ideas of a generation with his prolific and powerful writing.
While impacting individuals, Auden inadvertently changed an era of poetry and philosophy. Throughout his education, travel, and work, Auden made connections with many influential writers of the time. At University of Oxford, where Auden was known as a poet and sage, C. Day Lewis, Louis MacNeice, and Stephen Spender were all influenced by Auden’s wisdom and work. (Britannica) Through his collaborations with Isherwood and Kallman, Auden’s reach was extended. Being “The Hero of the Left,” Auden used as the muse for the “Auden Generation,” which consisted of revolutionary writers who stood for political and social justice in the wake of war. Although largely fictionalized, the group did spark change and reform in many across America. Largely considered the least of the three major twentieth century poets, Yeats, Eliot, and Auden, his radical left-wing writing, although accessible, made him a target for criticism. Unable to look beyond the content, many dismissed Auden’s work. His bourgeois, liberal ideals branded him as a political writer, a label which only partially applies. (Auden Society) A more recent twist, however, has reawakened the Auden Generation and brought newer American poets such as Merrill, Ashberry, and Hecht to respect and admire Auden’s work. In the general public, the reading of his poems in Four Weddings and a Funeral have given Auden a new intrigue. (Poetry Foundation) Although not as known as Eliot or Yeats, Auden has an impactful cult following of his own.
Auden’s writing was dynamic and profound, which was a product of his thought-provoking and unusual life. In stumbling upon the work of Eliot and Hardy, Auden was given the fodder for his own social commentary through poetry. His travel and philosophies offer an individualistic approach to social and political problems the world around him were facing, which lead him to shift into five identifiable phases of work, all pertaining to the world around him. Auden’s not-so-subtle commentary not only made his a powerful voice in poetry, but made him an accessible source of philosophy for a struggling and busy world. Several of his works are still quoted to this day and remain important sources of inspiration to many. Perhaps his most potent tool for communicating through poetry was his understated truth, well summed up in his quote, “Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about.” (Biography in Context)