Jill (novel)
Encyclopedia
Jill is a novel
by English
writer Philip Larkin
, first published in 1946 by The Fortune Press, and reprinted by Faber & Faber (London) in 1964. It was written between 1943 and 1944, when Larkin was twenty-one years old and an undergraduate at St John's College, Oxford
.
The novel is set in the wartime Oxford
in which it was written. Protagonist John Kemp is a young man from "Huddlesford" in Lancashire
, who goes up to Oxford. With great sympathy it analyses his emotions at this first experience of privileged southern
life (he had never been south of Crewe
). Socially awkward and inexperienced, Kemp is attracted by the reckless and dissipated life of his roommate Christopher Warner, a well-off southerner who has attended a minor public school
, tellingly called "Lamprey
College". The eponymous Jill is Kemp's imaginary sister, whom he invents to confound Warner. Kemp then discovers a real-life Jill called Gillian, the 15 year old cousin of Warner's friend Elizabeth. Kemp becomes infatuated with Gillian, but his advances are thwarted by Elizabeth and rebuffed by Gillian.
Larkin writes of his own experiences of Oxford during the war in the Introduction he added for the republication by Faber & Faber in 1964:
A boy with the surname Bleaney (we are not told his Christian name or indeed anything else about him) makes a fleeting appearance in 'Jill' as one of John Kemp's classmates at Huddlesford Grammar School. Larkin later used this unusual surname in his well known poem 'Mr Bleaney
', although there is nothing to indicate that it refers to the same person.
Jill is currently in print in paperback from Faber & Faber, ISBN 0-571-22582-9.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
writer Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
, first published in 1946 by The Fortune Press, and reprinted by Faber & Faber (London) in 1964. It was written between 1943 and 1944, when Larkin was twenty-one years old and an undergraduate at St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
.
The novel is set in the wartime Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in which it was written. Protagonist John Kemp is a young man from "Huddlesford" in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, who goes up to Oxford. With great sympathy it analyses his emotions at this first experience of privileged southern
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
life (he had never been south of Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
). Socially awkward and inexperienced, Kemp is attracted by the reckless and dissipated life of his roommate Christopher Warner, a well-off southerner who has attended a minor public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
, tellingly called "Lamprey
Lamprey
Lampreys are a family of jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated from an admixture of Latin and Greek, lamprey means stone lickers...
College". The eponymous Jill is Kemp's imaginary sister, whom he invents to confound Warner. Kemp then discovers a real-life Jill called Gillian, the 15 year old cousin of Warner's friend Elizabeth. Kemp becomes infatuated with Gillian, but his advances are thwarted by Elizabeth and rebuffed by Gillian.
Larkin writes of his own experiences of Oxford during the war in the Introduction he added for the republication by Faber & Faber in 1964:
- "Life in college was austere. Its pre-war pattern had been dispersed, in some instances permanently … This was not the Oxford of Michael FaneSinister StreetSinister Street is a 1913-14 novel by Compton Mackenzie. It is a kind of bildungsroman or novel about growing up, and concerns two children, Michael Fane and his sister Stella...
and his fine bindings, or Charles RyderBrideshead RevisitedBrideshead Revisited, The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. Waugh wrote that the novel "deals with what is theologically termed 'the operation of Grace', that is to say, the unmerited and unilateral act of love by...
and his plovers' eggs. Nevertheless, it had a distinctive quality."
A boy with the surname Bleaney (we are not told his Christian name or indeed anything else about him) makes a fleeting appearance in 'Jill' as one of John Kemp's classmates at Huddlesford Grammar School. Larkin later used this unusual surname in his well known poem 'Mr Bleaney
Mr Bleaney
"Mr Bleaney" is a poem written by British poet Philip Larkin. It was written in May 1955, was first published in The Listener on 8 September 1955, and later collected in the book The Whitsun Weddings in 1964....
', although there is nothing to indicate that it refers to the same person.
Jill is currently in print in paperback from Faber & Faber, ISBN 0-571-22582-9.
Other works by Philip Larkin
- Trouble at Willow Gables and Other Fiction 1943-1953 (writing as "Brunette ColemanBrunette ColemanBrunette Coleman was a pseudonym used by the poet and writer Philip Larkin . In 1943, towards the end of his time as an undergraduate at St John's College, Oxford, he wrote several works of fiction, verse and critical commentary under that name...
") - A Girl in Winter (1947), Faber & Faber, London
- Philip Larkin: Required Writing (1983), Faber & Faber, London
- Collected Poems – 1988 edition (Philip Larkin)Collected Poems – 1988 edition (Philip Larkin)This posthumously published volume is a completist's view of Philip Larkin's poetry. It was edited by Anthony Thwaite. It contains, in strict chronological order, all of his published work, all his completed unpublished mature work, much unpublished early work, and some uncompleted work.-See...
(1988), introd. by Anthony ThwaiteAnthony ThwaiteAnthony Simon Thwaite, OBE, is an English poet and writer. He is married to the writer Ann Thwaite. He was awarded the OBE in 1992, for services to poetry. He was mainly brought up in Yorkshire and currently lives in Norfolk....
, The Marvell Press-Faber & Faber; London-Boston - Selected Letters of Philip Larkin, Anthony ThwaiteAnthony ThwaiteAnthony Simon Thwaite, OBE, is an English poet and writer. He is married to the writer Ann Thwaite. He was awarded the OBE in 1992, for services to poetry. He was mainly brought up in Yorkshire and currently lives in Norfolk....
, editor (1992)
Further reading
- An Enormous Yes: in memoriam Philip Larkin (1986), ed. by Harry Chambers, Peterloo Poets, Calstock, Great-Britain
- Philip Larkin: A Writer's Life, Andrew MotionAndrew MotionSir Andrew Motion, FRSL is an English poet, novelist and biographer, who presided as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009.- Life and career :...
(1993) - The Devil at Oxford: Philip Larkin's Jill by Nina Chasteen (1990)