Flashcards for An Arundel Tomb

The Countess (Stone Effigy)

The Countess is one half of the stone effigies that rest atop a medieval tomb in Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb."

character

The Earl (Stone Effigy)

The Earl is one of two stone effigies lying side by side on a medieval tomb in Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb."

character

The Observer / Speaker

The Observer, or Speaker, serves as the poem's main consciousness in Philip Larkin's "An Arundel Tomb."

character

Time (Personified Force)

Time in Philip Larkin's "An Arundel Tomb" isn't presented as a character in the traditional way; instead, it's a personified, destructive force that silently shapes the poem's main tension.

character

“The stone fidelity / They hardly meant has come to be / Their final blazon.”

These lines are from Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb," published in The Whitsun Weddings in 1964.

Lyric speaker (Philip Larkin) · Stanza 6 (penultimate stanza)

“His hand withdrawn, holding her hand.”

This line is from Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb" (1964), where the speaker reflects on a medieval stone effigy of an earl and countess lying side by side in Chichester Cathedral.

Narrator/Speaker (Philip Larkin) · Stanza 2

“Such plainness of the pre-baroque / Hardly involves the eye, until / It meets his left-hand gauntlet, still / Clasped empty in the other.”

These lines are from Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb" (1956), which he wrote after visiting Chichester Cathedral, where he saw the medieval effigy of the Earl and Countess of Arundel.

Philip Larkin (poetic speaker) · Stanza 2

“Rigidly they / Persisted, linked, through lengths and breadths / Of time.”

This quote is from Philip Larkin's well-known poem "An Arundel Tomb" (1964), found in his collection The Whitsun Weddings (1964).

Poetic narrator (Philip Larkin) · Stanza 5

“They would not think to lie so long.”

This line is from Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb" (1956), delivered by the poem's reflective narrator as he considers the medieval effigy of an earl and countess lying side by side in Chichester Cathedral.

The narrator / Philip Larkin · An Arundel Tomb

“What will survive of us is love.”

This closing line is from Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb" (1964), featured in The Whitsun Weddings (1964).

Lyric speaker (Philip Larkin)

“Time has transfigured them into / Untruth.”

These lines come from Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb" (1964), which is part of The Whitsun Weddings (1964).

Poetic speaker (Philip Larkin) · Stanza 6

“Side by side, their faces blurred, / The earl and countess lie in stone.”

These opening lines of Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb" (1956, included in The Whitsun Weddings, 1964) introduce a medieval stone effigy of an earl and countess lying side by side in Chichester Cathedral.

Philip Larkin (lyric narrator) · An Arundel Tomb

The Arundel Tomb

In Philip Larkin's poem "An Arundel Tomb," the medieval tomb of an earl and countess—especially the detail of their joined, stone-carved hands—serves as a symbol of love's endurance over time.

The Clasped Hands

In Philip Larkin's "An Arundel Tomb," the stone-carved clasped hands of the medieval earl and countess symbolize enduring love, but there's a layer of irony and ambiguity to it.

The Passing Seasons

In Philip Larkin's "An Arundel Tomb," the changing seasons represent the unstoppable, indifferent flow of time that both wears away and preserves.

The Stone Effigies

In Philip Larkin's "An Arundel Tomb," the stone effigies of the medieval earl and countess reflect the complex nature of love enduring through art and time.

Symbolism

The clasped hands of the earl and countess serve as the poem's main symbol, embodying its deep exploration of love and time.

Volta

The poem takes a significant turn in the fifth stanza with the line "Time has transfigured them into / Untruth."

Irony

Larkin's irony is subtle yet widespread.

Imagery

Larkin crafts the poem using vivid, tactile images that bring the stone figures to life.

Personification

Time acts as a dynamic force in the poem, almost as if it were a character.

Paradox

The poem's central paradox is clearly presented in the fifth stanza: the hands that appear to demonstrate love's persistence are described as an 'untruth' — but this untruth has emerged as the most genuine aspect of the tomb.

Elegy

Though not a formal elegy, 'An Arundel Tomb' captures the essence of mourning throughout.

Enjambment

Larkin employs enjambment to shape the poem's rhythm and to explore its themes surrounding time.

Alliteration

Alliteration appears in a deliberate but limited way.

Stanza

The poem consists of six five-line stanzas (quintains) that follow a loose ABBAC rhyme scheme.

Understatement

Larkin's signature understatement influences the emotional tone of the entire poem.

Motif

The motif of stone — its hardness and its ability to both preserve and distort — appears in every stanza.

effigy

A carved stone likeness of a person, typically placed on top of a tomb to represent the deceased lying in repose.

noun · Chapter 1

earl

A British nobleman of high rank, sitting between a marquess and a viscount in the aristocratic hierarchy.

noun · Chapter 1

countess

The wife or widow of an earl, or a woman who holds the rank of earl in her own right.

noun · Chapter 1

gauntleted

Wearing a gauntlet — a heavy armored glove made of metal or leather, worn as part of medieval battle armor.

adjective · Chapter 1

heraldic

Relating to the formal system of symbols, coats of arms, and insignia used to identify noble families, often carved or painted on tombs and monuments.

adjective · Chapter 1

Latin

Written in the ancient Roman language used throughout medieval Europe for official, religious, and commemorative inscriptions on monuments and tombs.

adjective · Chapter 1

transfigured

Completely changed in form or appearance, often in a way that distorts or elevates the original beyond recognition.

verb · Chapter 1

Untruth

A falsehood or misrepresentation — here, the idea that time's erosion has turned the tomb's original meaning into something misleading or untrue.

noun · Chapter 1

lie

To rest or recline in a flat, horizontal position — used here of the stone figures lying stretched out on the tomb, not of telling a falsehood.

verb · Chapter 1

survive

To continue to exist or endure after everything else has faded, decayed, or been forgotten.

verb · Chapter 1

instinct

A natural, inborn impulse or tendency that guides feeling or behavior without conscious reasoning.

noun · Chapter 1

almost-instinct

A coined compound suggesting an urge or belief that feels natural and deeply felt but falls just short of being a genuine, reliable instinct — implying it is partly wishful thinking.

phrase · Chapter 1