A glass of water : Philip Larkin and the ecolinguistic vision

This paper examines Philip Larkin's poetry through an ecolinguistic lens, exploring his understated yet profound engagement with the natural world. While Larkin is often regarded as a disenchanted poet of modernity, his works reveal a sensitivity to non-human agency, particularly in relation to water. Through an analysis of poems such as Water and Cut Grass, the study applies transitivity analysis and metaphorical reversal to highlight the way that Larkin subtly reconfigures ecological relationships, attributing agency to natural elements. His vision, though not conventionally environmentalist, challenges capitalist-consumerist ideologies and aligns with contemporary ecolinguistic concerns about re-centering the non-human. Larkin's elemental spirituality – seen in his emphasis on water and light – suggests an alternative to traditional religious structures, positioning nature as a site of transcendence. This study contributes to ecolinguistic discourse by demonstrating how poetic language can reframe human-nature relations in ways that resonate with ecological thought.