Ethical Emotion

Chapter 4 examines Auden’s ethical sentiments as expressed in his poetry, whose themes include ethical outrage at the evils of international fascism and the injustice of Western appeasement, and moral sympathy for all kinds of suffering in both Asia and Europe. The chapter argues that Auden’s moral rhetoric, with its affective “wind”, was stimulated by his ethical emotions and facilitated by his artistic and poetic virtuosity. Illustrative poems include “To E. M. Forster,” Sonnets XIII, XIV, XVI, XVII, XIX, XX, XXII, XXIII and the verse “Commentary” from Journey to a War (1938); “It’s farewell to the drawing-room’s civilized cry” (1937), “Refugee Blues” (1938) and “September 1, 1939” (1939) from Another Time; “New Year Letter” (1940) from New Year Letter.