Juxtaposition of lyric and politics in Audenesque

Abstract

This paper aims to loosen the established taxonomy of Auden’s political works. We will see that in the sustained attempt to engage with each lyric, we cannot confine our discussion to the level of content alone. This is the central tenet of my approach to the political Auden. I will demonstrate that the content of political argument in a given work can only be meaningfully explained if we understand the basis on which the lyric finds its voicing. The peculiar kind of magnetism of Auden’s political lyrics in which, I include earlier works such as “Control of the Passes” and “Get there if you can”.