Church Going

First, Larkin uses an interesting pair of words in the title to convey a double meaning. "Church Going" explains the speaker's physical act of visiting this church and describing the scene he finds...

This famous poem is so rich in terms of the title that Larkin has given it and the number of possible interpretations and how those interpretations relate to the theme and message of the poem....

The reference you have given is the first line of the last stanza, and refers to the importance of the church, both to Larkin and to society at large. Having visited a church and being surprised at...

Larkin refers to the church that he has visited in the final stanza of this poem as a "serious house" because he, although he is an atheist, recognises the solemnity of the church and its serious...

'Here endeth' was the common ending for a Bible reading in church. In the poem "Church Going" by Philip Larkin, the speaker walks to the front of the church, examining all of the items:"Mounting...

The central idea of "Church Going" by Philip Larkin is that while religion is now no more than an antiquated superstition, there will always be a need for some people to search for answers in...

The first stanza introduces the narrator, apparently a cyclist, stopping to explore a deserted church. He has to make sure "there's nothing going on" before he is willing to go in; his visit is not...

Philip Larkin's poem "Church Going" begins with a deeply ambivalent view of religion. The titles sets up the expectation that this will be a narrative about one or more people attending a church...

Phillip Larkin’s “Church Going,” composed in 1954, analyzes the conflict between spirituality and organized religion. The persona enters an empty church, walks around, and then donates a worthless...

Central to understanding this poem is appreciating the deep irony that is evident in the reaction of the speaker to the theme he is trying to address. At surface level, at least, he is cynical and...

The last stanza of Church Going by Philip Larkin, as is often true with his poetry, expresses a sort of turn or change in attitude. At the beginning of the poem, we encounter a cynical...

In Church Going by Philip Larkin, a narrator has been bicycling through the English countryside and encounters a small church, still in use but at the moment empty. He enters into the church. His...

Two important particular themes are the decline of organized religion and the void left by its disappearance. The two general themes I found are ritual and place. The speaker is evidently agnostic...

This poem explores the theme of religious faith, questioning the point of Christianity in the modern age and finding that it still has value. In the poem, the speaker slips into an English church....

I am not sure what you mean by introduction, whether you want a general introduction or a literary introduction. Generally, this poem by Philip Larkin provides the interior monologue of a man who...

This is an incredibly important poem from the works of Philip Larkin, the famous English poet. One of his hobbies was visiting old churches in the countryside of Britain of which there are many,...

In "Church Going" by Philip Larkin, a narrator is visiting an open but empty small country church. It is obviously an Aglican church somewhere in rural England. The narrator reveals that he is in...

The quote that is referred to in your question is one that is taken from the first stanza of the poem and serves to describe the church that the speaker has just entered. Its importance lies in...

What is interesting about "Church Going" by Philip Larkin is that while it demystifies some aspects of religion through its use of language, narrator, and situation, a mystical core remains at the...

We could say that R. N. Parkinson has a valid point when it comes to Philip Larkin's poem "Church Going." The poem is not necessarily about "isolation" and "meaninglessness." Rather, when we read...

Philip Larkin wrote the "Church Going" in 1954, and it was published in 1955 (Greenblatt). The poem touches on Larkin's predominantly atheist views and his general confusion about Christianity and...