Introduction
I have chosen to write about W.H. Auden because I am very interested in his poetry. I first heard a poem by him in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. Since then, I have read more and more of his work and I finally decided to do my Personal Project about him.Background
W.H. Auden was a distinguished poet of the 20th century. He wrote both political and emotional poems. Though Auden earned critical acclaim during his life, the poem Funeral Blues read aloud by John Hannah in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) is why most people recognise him.
Objective
The purpose of this essay is to discuss how Auden’s poetry was influenced by the relationships he had during his adult life. I chose to examine this area of his life because I am primarily interested in the more ‘personal’ poems he has written. The people I have chosen to write about are people that all have had different roles in Auden’s life. I chose to do so because I wanted to show the influence that various relationships had on Auden’s work. The questions I want to discuss are did these people have an affect on Auden’s poetry and if so, how did they affect it? Auden once said that, ‘more often than people realise, [the writer’s] works may throw light upon his life.’[1]
Methodology
To achieve my objective I will use secondary research. I will primarily use biographies and biographical texts written about Auden and his works. I will use sources in both English and Swedish. In addition, I will also use his poems in order to relate to different relationships in his life.