A Study Of Reading Habits

Themes
The division between fantasy and reality, escapism

Content
This ironic and laughable poem details the reading habits of Larkin, or perhaps simply a persona, as he grows up and progresses through life. It is whimsical and ridiculous in many ways as the speaker mocks what they once believed through stages of his life.

Voice/Register
An informal and humorous first person register is employed in order to give the poem a friendly, conversational feel but also to show that the poem shouldn't be take as serious and is just a trivial musing.

Analysis

• In the youthful years of the speaker, books "cured" the boredom and monotony of life- they were an escape to a more exciting world and solved life's problems (except from school). From the start, colloquial language appears in the form of "getting my nose in a book" to cast a comic light on the serious-sounding nature of the title. The title shows that first looks can be deceiving,
• A touch of bitterness appears when the speaker states that by reading they were "ruining their eyes" but at the time, they became part of the story. They imagined themselves as the hero, fighting for good against "dirty dogs". This slang expression and alliteration emphasises the hilarity of the image yet the speaker wanted to be strong and powerful- it is clear that they enjoyed reading exciting macho books.
• As the speaker ages and becomes an adolescent, their desires also change. The comical "inch-thick specs" show that they can be self-deprecating and that physically, they could not match their illusions. They desire to become the anti-hero-the dark, seductive villain in a vampire novel and the fantasies start to involve women whom they "clubbed with sex". The line "evil was just my lark" plays on Larkin's last name, with "ripping" also being a play on words as it could be taken to mean having a good time or literally slashing something. An exclamation mark appears to highlight the power that they gained from reading-it was a seductive form of escapism.
• However, these brooding fantasies are instantly dispelled with the last comedic line. The simile "I broke them up like meringues" suggests the fundamental harmlessness of the imaginings in that it does not take much to break a meringue. The contrast between the rhyme of "fangs" and "meringues" shows that the speaker can laugh at their own foolishness.
• As time passes, things change and the poem brings us into the present. The speaker attempts to sound dismissive, using the line "don't read much now". This is because they now identify too much with the 'lame' characters- "the dude who lets the girl down" and the "yellow"(cowardly) man who "keeps the store". They no longer see themselves as heroic but rather, as the supporting/background characters who are unsuccessful. Brutal realism has struck and they are no longer under the delusion that books once offered as fantasy life is ineffective in shutting out reality. For this reason, the speaker becomes angry at the loss of this fantasy world and states that books can "get stewed" as they no longer have a purpose.
• The end line ("Books are a load of crap") is deliberately shocking, particularly coming from a writer, as Larkin is ironically dismissing his own work and thus summing up the ridiculousness of the poem. The whole poem appears to be flippant and conversational, exploring the path that books lead us down and that ultimately, they cannot replace reality for a long period of time.
• The rhyme scheme is that of ABCBAC to keep the poem simple and almost song-like, adding to its sense of meaningless and hilarity- a child-like tune.

Links to other poems
'Essential Beauty'- the difference between what is presented and what is real
'Sunny Prestatyn'- how fantasies are so easily dispelled
'Self's The Man'- flippant and child-like view of important issues
'Talking in Bed'-the breakdown of that which we once held dear
'Faith Healing'-believing in lies simply to make yourself feel better

Link:http://www.allinfo.org.uk/levelup/studyofreading.htm