The Dyer’s Hand and Other Essays by W. H. Auden
The greatest of W. H. Auden’s prose writing, including the renowned lectures he gave as Oxford Professor of Poetry, have been collected, edited, and organized in one volume. The end result is more of an extensive series of thoughts on poetry, art, and life in general than a traditional collection of essays. The Dyer’s Hand is a startlingly deep and personal look inside the author’s psyche. Its primary subject is poetry, specifically Shakespearean poetry, but it also covers the author’s entire experience of the 20th century.
The Dyer's Hand and Other Essays by W. H. Auden
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This is a collection of essays written in the 1950s that are critical. Two of them spoke admirably but briefly about Wodehouse. I’ll probably get criticized for being “steeped to the gills in serious purpose” like Wodehouse’s Florence Craye if I include it. However, it’s noteworthy because it’s one of the few attempts to discuss why humour like Wodehouse’s is important. These are “serious pieces against great seriousness,” according to a critic. One of those two tales, “Balaam and His Ass,” explores the humorous master-servant dynamic and the reasons it is so endearing. In the second, “Dingley Dell and the Fleet,” Wodehouse is referred to as an “expert on Eden.”
If we are going to consider why Wodehouse has had such appeal to such a wide range of people, including Wittgenstein, Salman Rushdie, and the late Queen Mother, Auden describes why characters can live on beyond and outside of their novels, and why innocence matters. This strikes me as rather fascinating and important. These types of characters just tend to endure. The red-faced Aunt Dahlia, who writes Bertie epic telegrams and is “built much on the lines of Mae West.” Aunt Agatha, the “nephew-crusher,” is known for “chewing shattered bottles and using her teeth to kill rodents.” Lord Emsworth was described as “amiable and stupid,” and “drooping like a wet sock.” Psmith, looking “immaculate,” relaxing in the Drones club. The list continues.
These are some of Auden’s most well-known articles, which were published over the course of his protracted career. I’m very appreciative that Auden’s Oxford Poetry Professor lectures were included. The book is still essential for the Auden researcher, but it would benefit enormously from comprehensive annotation and an index. This collection of essays by the lucid and perceptive poet W.H. Auden is a beautiful and unexpected work. Instead of being a rigorous, logical work that defines ideas as one might expect from a critic, it is a poetic composition that prompts contemplation. Reading Auden is immensely refreshing for the mind because of the way he connects everything, from opera to art to Shakespeare to daily life. This is a great choice for anyone who enjoys reading and creating art.
