(21-24)
Joselyn Brooke finds that Betjeman in genrael is a poet who expresses his affection for his subjects, though she also cites "Slough" as an exception and writes,
Such 'hate' poems, though, are exceptional, and his more characteristic pieces are marked by that emotional ambivalence which has already been noted. Thus, though he hates Slough, he will write lovingly (if ironically) of such towns as Swindon, Camberley or Westgate-on-Sea, which to many people would seem hardly more attractive or en-livening than Slough itself. (Brooke para. 8) similar view of Betjeman is offered by Randle Manwaring as he writes,
Naturally, opinion is divided, a hundred years after his birth, on John Betjeman the poet. He is despised by some for the lightness of his touch and his joking references to the more unfortunate members of society. However, he has undoubtedly endeared himself to thousands (including, we understand. Princess Margaret) for his charming poems about tennis playing girls, horse-besotted teenagers and the night-club hostess, not forgetting single girls running their bath water in Camden Town. (Manwaring 25)
In terms of "Slough" in particular, Patrick Taylor-Martin states that this poem does not intend to be patronizing or clever in his wording but instead is expressed "sincere and unaffected" emotion (Taylor-Martin 61), though the critic also states that the poem "stays in the mind; its very ferocity ensures that it gets a hearing" (Taylor-Martin 67). Other critics find that Betjeman is indeed a satirist, though they find his satire to be faulty for one reason or another (Stanford 67). Betjeman's satiric thrust is most evident as he further describes "the bald young clerks" and their...
As the poet writes of these young men,
And talk of
sport and makes of cars
In various bogus-Tudor bars
And daren't look up and see the stars
But belch instead. (29-32)
The wives of these young men live lives governed by the developing consumer culture of the day:
In labour-saving homes, with care
Their wives frizz out peroxide hair
And dry it in synthetic air
And paint their nails. (33-36)
The poem "Slough" remained popular long after Betjeman's
death. It has been noted by many observers that the town itself has greatly changed and is not as despairing as Betjeman made it sound, nor has it degenerated into a newer version of Dickens' Coketown. Recently on the centennial of Betjeman's birth, a girl in the town produced her own poem about Slough, a poem that celebrated rather than criticized and that had no satiric intent at all. The poem did indicate the frustration of many people in the town because of the way they were portrayed and because of the onus "Slough" placed on the town.
Works Cited
Brooke, Jocelyn. John Betjeman. Biographies. February 20, 2007. http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/brookej/btjmn/chap1.htm.
Cooper, Robert M. The Literary Guide and Companion to Middle England. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1993.
Manwaring, Randle. "John Betjeman -- a Centenary View." http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2242" Contemporary Review (Summer, 2006), 25.
Stanford, Derek. John Betjeman: A Study. N. Sperarman, 1961.
Taylor-Martin, Patrick. John Betjeman, His Life and Work. University of Michigan, 1983.
