Roy Fuller Criticism
Roy Fuller (1912–1991) was a distinguished English poet, novelist, essayist, and memoirist, whose literary career spanned several decades, beginning in the 1930s. Initially influenced by left-wing literary figures like W. H. Auden and Stephen Spender, Fuller's early poetry reflected the political liberalism and social concerns typical of that era. His work often grapples with the themes of death, loss, and the artist's societal role, infused with a humanitarian conscience.
Fuller's early poetry collections, such as The Middle of the War and A Lost Season, offer poignant accounts of World War II, drawing from his experiences in the British Navy. These works, described by critics like George Woodcock, marked the "liberation of Fuller's poetic talent" and are considered among the finest "war" poetry of the time. As Fuller's style evolved, his later collections, including Collected Poems and The Individual and His Times, reflect a shift from wartime emotionalism to a more measured and introspective tone, exploring themes of aging and personal disappointment.
Fuller's novels reveal his persistent interest in the tension between individual integrity and societal constraints. Works like The Second Curtain and Image of a Society depict characters in conflict with oppressive systems, symbolizing broader societal struggles. His prose extends to critical essays and memoirs, such as Souvenirs and Vamp Till Ready, revealing an affectionate irony and blending personal insights with broader social commentary. Fuller's literary legacy is noted for its intellectual depth and moral engagement, as discussed by critics like Martin Seymour-Smith and Ronald Blythe, who appreciate his unpretentious, serious voice and his knack for reflecting the ordinary through a humanist lens.
Contents
- Fuller, Roy
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Fuller, Roy (Broadbent)
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Tenant of a Star
(summary)
In the following essay, the critic examines Roy Fuller's collection Epitaphs and Occasions, highlighting his belief in direct expression and moral action, the balance between art and reality, and the remarkable conciseness with which he addresses complex themes, ultimately suggesting that Fuller’s work hints at a major poetic talent.
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Fantasy and Fugue
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In the following essay, James Sandoe argues that Roy Fuller's novel "Fantasy and Fugue" stands out as a significant mystery work, notable for its complex psychological portrayal and incisive commentary on contemporary society, echoing the style and substance of Graham Greene's works from the Thirties.
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Fantasy and Fugue
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In the following essay, The New Yorker discusses Roy Fuller's novel "Fantasy and Fugue," highlighting its exploration of guilt and mystery through bizarre characters and noting its rare stylistic flair and exciting narrative despite an overly dramatic climax.
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The Poet As Moralist
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In the following essay, the critic examines Roy Fuller's post-war poetry, highlighting its contemplative nature and moralistic tone, its focus on the ordinary life of a suburban man, and its exploration of deep human passions, while also recognizing his evolving prose work and the impactful mythological sonnets in Brutus's Orchard.
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The Calm Style
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In the following essay, Thom Gunn critiques Roy Fuller's poetry for its occasional triviality, derivativeness, and didactic tone, while acknowledging Fuller's strengths in description, urbanity, and humor, urging Fuller to better integrate his insights and assumptions for more impactful poetry.
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Nonage and Verbiage
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The critic highlights Roy Fuller's "The Ruined Boys" as a subtly ironic and precisely observed portrayal of school life, emphasizing the author's controlled prose and effective use of simile to depict the quiet erosion of a boy's belief in the stability of his world.
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A Young, Very Human Being
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In the following essay, Dan Wickenden praises Roy Fuller's "That Distant Afternoon" as a masterful novel that captures the complexity and maturity of youth through a polished and witty style, emphasizing its subtle yet profound narrative.
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Saturnine Daylight
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In the following essay, Robert Conquest asserts that Roy Fuller's poetry, particularly in his Collected Poems, is distinguished by its humanistic depth, blending Marxist insights with a broader historical and social perspective, resulting in a unique fusion of traditional and modern English poetry that is richly textured yet occasionally flawed.
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Martin Seymour-Smith
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In the following essay, Martin Seymour-Smith argues that Roy Fuller's poetry is characterized by its consistent public themes and genuine, unpretentious voice, which contrasts sharply with the superficiality of his imitators, emphasizing that Fuller's work stems from a position of seriousness, intellectual humility, and an evolving understanding of complex themes.
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Turning In
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The critic examines Roy Fuller's transformation in "New Poems," noting his shift from structured forms to a more personal, introspective style that, while risking indulgent self-dramatization, importantly challenges readers with moral questions through its disquieting honesty and skillful artistry.
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Private Images of Public Ills: The Poetry of Roy Fuller
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In the following essay, George Woodcock examines Roy Fuller's evolving poetic career, highlighting his influence on the "Movement" of the 1950s, his philosophical and poetic objectives, and his unique ability to blend personal experience with political idealism, all while maintaining a clear, ordered verse structure that reflects his life choices and professional background.
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Private Flashpoints
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In the following essay, Edwin Morgan explores Roy Fuller's novel "The Carnal Island," highlighting its examination of the interplay between mundane reality and myth, and its reflection on how profound art emerges from personal passion rather than political ideology.
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The Poet at Home
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In the following essay, the critic examines Roy Fuller's novel The Carnal Island, exploring its themes of poetic identity and the tension between art and life, but criticizes its convoluted narrative style and thinly developed characters, which impede the novel's intellectual ambitions.
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Doleful
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In the following essay, Peter Washington critiques Roy Fuller's From the Joke Shop, arguing that the poet's confessions of inadequacy and preoccupation with death are hindered by artistic timidity, resulting in uninspired poetry that fails to transform introspection into compelling art.
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Common As They Come
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In the following essay, George Woodcock argues that Roy Fuller is the preeminent philosophic poet in English today, aligning him with figures like Wordsworth, as he deftly merges formal structure with introspective themes of aging, memory, and the interplay of public and private consciousness in his work, From the Joke Shop.
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Allan E. Austin
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In the following essay, Allan E. Austin examines Roy Fuller's poetry, noting his role as a significant English poet during the 1950s and 1960s, characterized by his "normalized generalist" approach, ruminative nature, and ability to engage with the commonplace and personal experience, despite not being the most innovative or emotive among his contemporaries.
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Despondency & Sadness
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In the following essay, Blake Morrison argues that Roy Fuller's works, particularly Souvenirs and The Reign of Sparrows, explore themes of aging, loss, and authenticity, while critiquing the poet's tendency to retreat from deeper emotional honesty and political engagement, favoring a restrained, introspective style.
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Vault Echoes
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In the following essay, Jonathan Keates examines Roy Fuller's The Reign of Sparrows, highlighting its preoccupation with aging and decay while noting the poet's mastery in blending humor and melancholy to explore themes of mortality and vitality.
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A Cold Wind Blows
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In the following essay, Alan Brownjohn reviews Roy Fuller's works, The Reign of Sparrows and Souvenirs, highlighting Fuller's skillful and varied poetry reflecting on his later life, and noting how his prose memoir parallels his poetic themes with humor and precise descriptions of his childhood.
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A Waiting Game
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In the following essay, Gavin Ewart critiques the neglect of Roy Fuller's poetic contributions in favor of more commercial literature, while acknowledging Fuller's narrative prowess and the engaging nature of his work, particularly highlighting the inadequacy of current publications in representing his full poetic legacy.
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'He Remembers Things Like the Psychology of Cigarettes'
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In the following essay, Ronald Blythe explores Roy Fuller's autobiographical work, highlighting Fuller's distinctive style of laconic eloquence and affectionate irony, and discussing his seamless integration of his legal career and poetic vocation, which Fuller presents with wit, civility, and minimal self-regard.
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Observations of the Ordinary
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In the following essay, Alan Brownjohn argues that Roy Fuller adeptly transforms the tensions between everyday life and artistic aspiration into poetry that reflects a humanist vision, highlighting Fuller's growth from war-time observations to sophisticated explorations of art and society, though the selection's arrangement obscures the evolution of his poetic style.
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Tenant of a Star
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