
British poet Philip Larkin wrote in “Annus Mirabilis,”
Sexual intercourse began/ In nineteen sixty-three/ (which was rather late for me)/ Between the end of the Chatterley ban/ And the Beatles’ first LP.
In citing D. H. Lawrence and the rock-and-rollers from Liverpool, Larkin suggests that England’s amorous pendulum began to swing in a new way in the early Sixties. But was he right to think so? In the Love Actually reading group, we’ll seek to answer that question by discussing a selection of British fiction on the theme of love, from the early twentieth century to the present day, more or less fifty years on either side of 1963.
Fall 2022/Spring 2023 reading groups will be announced this summer, and registration will open in July. Participation is reserved for Athenæum members. If you have any questions, please email readinggroups@provath.org.
The Athenæum is deeply grateful to our wonderful volunteer leaders. Please note library reading groups are not classes or courses, but rather a way for individuals to discuss readings together, guided by both expert and amateur enthusiasts. Participants should expect discussion-based, not lecture-style meetings.