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

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