Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · English Literature
Course version: 9ET0 · Version from Sept 2015
Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Post-1900 – The…
Full specification wording
Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Post-1900 – The Movement – Philip Larkin: The Less Deceived (Faber, 2011): Lines On A Young Lady's Photograph Album Philip Larkin
In this opening poem of the collection, the speaker examines a photo album belonging to a younger woman, prompting a meditation on the nature of photography, time, and memory.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9ET0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 1 of 9
- 3 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
In this opening poem of the collection, the speaker examines a photo album belonging to a younger woman, prompting a meditation on the nature of photography, time, and memory. The speaker experiences a mix of voyeuristic thrill and melancholic exclusion, realising that the camera captures a frozen, idealised past that he can never access. The rigid stanza structure and controlled rhyme scheme reflect the speaker's attempt to impose order on his unruly emotions and the relentless passage of time.
What earns the marks
- Analyse the speaker's voyeuristic tone and the sense of exclusion from the subject's past.
- Evaluate the use of photography as a metaphor for freezing time and preserving an unattainable, idealised reality.
- Examine the formal structure, including the regular rhyme scheme, as a reflection of the speaker's desire for control.
- Connect the poem's themes of disappointment and the passage of time to the broader characteristics of The Movement.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Assuming the speaker is entirely objective.
Put it right: Recognise the speaker's subjective, emotionally invested, and slightly voyeuristic perspective.
Treating the poem merely as a narrative about looking at pictures.
Put it right: Analyse the deeper philosophical questions raised about time, truth, and memory.
Ignoring the formal elements.
Put it right: Explicitly link the regular stanzaic form and rhyme to the thematic attempt to capture and control fleeting moments.
Exam tips
- Compare the treatment of time and memory in this text with other poems in the collection, such as 'Maiden Name'.
- Focus on the specific diction used to describe the photographs, noting how words like 'faithful' and 'disappointing' reveal the speaker's internal conflict.
- Use the context of The Movement to explain the poem's anti-romantic, empirical approach to observing everyday life.
Try the lesson
The start of the Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Post-1900 – The Movement – Philip Larkin: The Less Deceived (Faber, 2011): Lines On A Young Lady's Photograph Album Philip Larkin lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In Philip Larkin's 'Lines on a Young Lady's Photograph Album', how does the speaker primarily characterise the nature of photography?
Listen
In this opening poem of the collection, the speaker examines a photo album belonging to a younger woman, prompting a meditation on the nature of photography, time, and memory. The speaker experiences a mix of voyeuristic thrill and melancholic exclusion, realising that the camera captures a frozen, idealised past that he can never access. The rigid stanza structure and controlled rhyme scheme reflect the speaker's attempt to impose order on his unruly emotions and the relentless passage of time. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Analyse the speaker's voyeuristic tone and the sense of exclusion from the subject's past. Evaluate the use of photography as a metaphor for freezing time and preserving an unattainable, idealised reality. Examine the formal structure, including the regular rhyme scheme, as a reflection of the speaker's desire for control. Connect the poem's themes of disappointment and the passage of time to the broader characteristics of The Movement. A common slip: Assuming the speaker is entirely objective. Instead, recognise the speaker's subjective, emotionally invested, and slightly voyeuristic perspective. Exam tip: Compare the treatment of time and memory in this text with other poems in the collection, such as 'Maiden Name'.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Time and Memory
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Voyeurism and Isolation
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
The Nature of Art and Truth
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Time and Memory
- The poem meditates on photography, time and memory, showing a frozen, idealised past that the speaker can never access.
- Voyeurism and Isolation
- The speaker experiences a mix of voyeuristic thrill and melancholic exclusion, feeling shut out from the subject's past.
- The Nature of Art and Truth
- Photography serves as a metaphor for freezing time and preserving an unattainable, idealised reality, raising deeper philosophical questions about time, truth and memory.
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