earticle

영어

A prominent theme in the poetry and prose of W. H. Auden is that of “the City,” or “the human community in all its aspects.” In this paper, I trace that theme in Auden's later longer poems with particular reference to Augustine thought. Auden's preoccupation with cities, whether actual or ideal, reflects his lifelong concern to “find or form a genuine community, in which each has his valued place and can feel at home.” Auden's poetry up until 1940 deals largely with Augustine's concept of the earthly city, or “the city of the unrighteous,” though he shows somewhat of a movement, in fits and starts, toward envisioning a “Just City” on earth. His return to Christianity in 1940 carries with it the realization that such an earthly city is impossible; yet his poetry after 1940 often points toward an ideal or heavenly city by which our actual ones can be judged.