Postwar Poetry and Literature Lecture Review

A complete set of 100 question-and-answer flashcards covering postwar British fiction, postcolonialism, women's writing, postmodernism, and poetry based on the lecture notes.

What turn did heroism and patriotism take in the cultural context after World War II?

They turned sour.

What double sense arose regarding destruction in post-WWII culture?

A sense of evil and fear of nuclear destruction.

What personal feelings increased in post-WWII culture?

Isolation and alienation.

What shift occurred in the focus of post-WWII art?

A shift from the social to the individual and secular.

What trend regarding art access emerged following World War II?

Democratization of art.

What new cultural perspectives began to be heard post-WWII?

New multi-ethnic voices.

What subject matter is portrayed in Holocaust Fiction?

Atrocities of the Holocaust and hardships of Jews in Auschwitz and other concentration camps.

Who wrote the 1947 work The Diary of a Young Girl?

Anne Frank.

In what year was Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl published?

1947.

Who authored The Night Trilogy published in 1960?

Elie Wiesel.

Who wrote Sophie's Choice (1979)?

William Styron.

How is Historical Fiction defined in the lecture transcript?

Fiction that self-consciously gives a treatment of history, not only passively reflecting history, but making and re-making history.

Who wrote the 1990 novel Possession?

A.S. Byatt.

What phrase appeared in V.S. Naipaul's 2001 Nobel citation?

"presence of suppressed histories"

Which author wrote Wolf Hall (2005) and Bring Up the Bodies (2012)?

Hilary Mantel.

What central issues are examined in British Fiction and Postcolonialism?

Questions of identity, immigration, multiculturalism, politics, and history.

Who wrote the 1961 novel A House for Mr Biswas?

V.S. Naipaul.

Who wrote Midnight's Children (1981)?

Salman Rushdie.

Who wrote The Buddha of Suburbia (1990)?

Hanif Kureishi.

What are the main themes of Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia?

Themes of youth, pop culture, and identity.

Who wrote The Famished Road in 1991?

Ben Okri.

Who wrote The Impressionist in 2003?

Hari Kunzru.

What literary styles and genres are attributed to Angela Carter under Women's Writing?

Feminist, magic realist, and science fiction.

What is the central theme in Margaret Drabble's writing?

Society vs. individual.

What genre of fiction is associated with Doris Lessing?

Space fiction.

What core interest defines Iris Murdoch's writing?

Moral philosophy.

How does Fay Weldon present contemporary women in her writing?

As trapped in patriarchal oppression.

What are the key features of Postmodern Fiction listed in the lecture?

Many meanings and interpretations, anti-realistic, metafiction, experimental style, and intertextuality.

Who are three major writers of Postmodern Fiction listed in the slides?

Peter Ackroyd, John Fowles, and Angela Carter.

What characteristics define Magic Realism according to the lecture?

Fantastic and dream-like themes, myths, fairy-stories, mingling of realism and fantasy, surrealistic and expressionistic images, and convoluted, labyrinthine plots.

What overall impact has Magic Realism had on British fiction?

It has not had a lot of impact on British fiction.

Who are the two major Magic Realism writers identified in the lecture?

Angela Carter and Salman Rushdie.

What specific fear is reflected by apocalyptic Science Fiction writers?

Fear of global annihilation by nuclear weapons.

What two elements are mentioned alongside Science Fiction developments in post-war literature?

Video games and Posthumanism.

Name three major Science Fiction writers specified in the lecture.

John Wyndham, J.G. Ballard, and Doris Lessing.

How is the general trajectory of British poetry described since World War II?

It has become increasingly postmodern and international.

What are the life dates of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas?

1914–1953.

Where was Dylan Thomas born?

Swansea in Wales.

What three jobs did Dylan Thomas hold at the BBC?

Reporter, scriptwriter, and broadcaster.

What poetic group of the 1940s was Dylan Thomas associated with?

New Apocalypse poets.

Dylan Thomas was the originator of what poetic mode?

Neo-romantic poetry.

What was Dylan Thomas's stance regarding intellectualism in verse?

He was an enemy of intellectualism in verse.

What three sources did Dylan Thomas draw upon for his poetic imagery?

The human body, sex, and the Old Testament.

Which poem is recognized as Dylan Thomas's best poem?

"Fern Hill".

On what occasion did Dylan Thomas write "Poem in October"?

On his 30th birthday.

Name three famous poems by Dylan Thomas other than "Fern Hill" and "Poem in October".

"After the Funeral", "Do not go gentle into that good night", and "And death shall have no dominion".

What is the title of Dylan Thomas's radio play?

Under Milk Wood.

In what year was Dylan Thomas's story collection The Map of Love published?

1939.

What 1940 collection of short stories by Dylan Thomas chronicles his youth?

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog.

How is the poem "Fern Hill" structured?

Into two parts: the first three stanzas depict childhood on his aunt's farm, and the last three stanzas lament the loss of innocence.

Where did Dylan Thomas spend the summer holidays described in "Fern Hill"?

On his aunt's farm.

What caused Dylan Thomas's death in 1953?

Alcoholic poisoning during a fourth visit to the US.

How did critical opinion of Dylan Thomas's work change after his death?

He was overpraised during his lifetime, but later suffered critical disparagement.

During which decade did The Movement emerge?

The 1950s.

Who edited the 1955 anthology Poets of the 1950s?

Dennis Joseph Enright.

Who were the three main poets of The Movement listed on slide 15?

Philip Larkin, Thom Gunn, and Elizabeth Jennings.

Who edited the 1956 Movement anthology titled New Lines?

Robert Conquest.

What three adjectives describe the style of Movement poetry?

Anti-romantic, witty, and colloquial.

Why did Movement poets oppose Modernism?

They held Modernism as escapist, elitist, obscure, and antithetical to post-war democratic and populist values.

What governed the form of poems written by Movement poets?

Relevance of theme and mood (conventional verse forms were rarely used).

How is landscape viewed in Movement poetry?

With Man as an integral part.

What are the life dates of Philip Larkin?

1922–1985.

What was Philip Larkin's profession?

Librarian.

What conditions of existence does Philip Larkin accept in his poetry?

Defeatism and rootlessness.

What are the titles and publication years of Philip Larkin's two novels?

Jill (1946) and A Girl in Winter (1947).

For which newspaper did Philip Larkin write jazz record reviews?

The Daily Telegraph.

What major anthology did Philip Larkin edit in 1973?

The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse.

What was the title of Philip Larkin's early 1945 verse collection?

The North Ship.

Which 1955 poetry collection brought Philip Larkin's mature work before the public for the first time?

The Less Deceived.

What Shakespearean line spoken by Ophelia is inverted in the title The Less Deceived?

"I was the more deceived"

Which two 1964 collections form the basis of Philip Larkin's literary reputation?

The Whitsun Weddings and High Windows.

What journey is described in Philip Larkin's poem "The Whitsun Weddings"?

A train journey from Hull to London.

How are ambulances described in Philip Larkin's poem "Ambulances"?

"Closed like confessionals", conveying the loneliness of age and death.

What action does the speaker take at the beginning of Philip Larkin's poem "Church Going"?

He steps into a church after making sure it is empty.

What ultimate conclusion does the speaker reach in "Church Going"?

Humanity will always have a hunger to ask serious questions, for which they will turn to religion because it is a serious place.

What are the life dates of Dennis Joseph Enright?

1920–2002.

Under whom did Dennis Joseph Enright study, and to which magazine did he contribute?

He was a student of F.R. Leavis and contributed to Scrutiny.

In which countries did D.J. Enright serve as a professor?

Egypt, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore.

What anthology did D.J. Enright edit in 1980?

The Oxford Book of Contemporary Verse 1945–1980.

What are the life dates of Thom Gunn?

1929–2004.

How does Thom Gunn view life in his early poetry?

As tough, cynical, loveless, and meaningless.

Where does Thom Gunn find tenderness in human nature?

In the essentially animal nature of man.

What subjects were explored in Thom Gunn's later poetry?

Drugs, homosexuality, and poetic form.

What is Thom Gunn's most famous 1992 poetry collection containing AIDS-related elegies?

The Man With Night Sweats.

What are the life dates of Elizabeth Jennings?

1926–2001.

What two major personal influences frequently shape Elizabeth Jennings's verse?

Her devout Roman Catholicism and her love of Italy.

What characterized Elizabeth Jennings's 1961 collection Song For a Birth or a Death?

A confessional tone and a savage view of love.

What experiences inspired Elizabeth Jennings's 1966 collection The Mind has Mountains?

Her asylum experiences.

What are the life dates of Ted Hughes?

1930–1998.

In what year did Ted Hughes become Poet Laureate?

1984.

How does Ted Hughes view power and vitality in his poetry?

As essential principles contending against death, the failure of God to create a satisfactory universe, and the ever-present strength of evil.

Name four poems by Ted Hughes that contrast animal vitality with human society.

"Hawk Roosting", "Pike", "Jaguar", and "Thrushes".

In which 1957 collection did Ted Hughes's poem "The Thought-Fox" first appear?

The Hawk in the Rain.

What sound accompanies the lonely writer at night in "The Thought-Fox"?

"the clock's loneliness"

What line describes the movements of the fox in the third stanza of "The Thought-Fox"?

"Two eyes serve a movement, that now/ And again now, and now, and now/ Sets neat prints into the snow"

How does "The Thought-Fox" end in the final stanzas?

With "a sudden sharp hot stink of fox" entering the head, leaving the blank page printed with its presence.

In which collection was Ted Hughes's poem "Hawk Roosting" included?

Lupercal.

According to the hawk in "Hawk Roosting", what is his whole business in life?

"to tear off heads"

What are the life dates and Nobel Prize year for Seamus Heaney?

1939–2013; won the Nobel Prize in 1995.

What instrument does Seamus Heaney use to do his work at the end of "Digging"?

His pen.