Beauty, Honesty and Acceptance.

“Ode to Autumn” is a great example of Keats’s genius. In this poem Keats is noted for his imagery, word choice, detail and articulation. Theodore Gaillard from The Explicator states that “Ode to Autumn” is “lush and intricate” and among the “best lyric poem[s]” in English. “Ode to Autumn” is an exposition of Keats’s true talents suggests Koos Daley, and “invokes” the senses in each stanza. In this poem Keats compares the changing seasons with the cycle of human life (Daley). Though Keats longs to “prolong” the sweet summer months, as Daley suggests, he realizes that autumn and winter are inevitable much like death. In “Ode to Autumn” Keats is accepting human mortality and looking forward to the future (Daley). Though human life lasts longer than Keats is suggesting, he calls readers to mature and recognize the reality of death (Daley). The passing seasons therefore act as instruments to encourage acceptance of reality. Though many of Keats poems are considered somber works of art, “Ode to Autumn” is different. It highlights beauty, points out mortality and ask readers to appreciate the now and accept the future.

Daley, Koos. “To Autumn.” Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition. (2002) Literary Reference Center Plus. EBSCO host. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 23, 2010 http://ezp.tccd.edu:2358/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=MOL9650000673&site=lrc-plus

Gaillard, Theodore. "To Autumn." The Poetical Works of John Keats. London: Oxford (1956). Literature Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 23, 2010.

John Keats, a Man of Tremendous Sorrow.

John Keats’s major works consist of 54 poems (Concise Vol. 3). Among the most influential of these poems include: “Ode to a Nightingale”, “Bright Star” and “Ode on Melancholy”. In “Ode to a Nightingale” Keats artfully uses nature to describe human suffering and happiness (Hirst). Rich imagery coupled with the inescapable highs and lows of life summarize “Ode to a Nightingale”. In “Bright Star” Keats uses a distant star to express his desire for reunion with his fiancé. Keats also uses Eros and isolation to describe the level of his loneliness and sorrow (Johnson). “Bright Star” is therefore a commentary on the isolated and abated love Keats feels. “Ode on Melancholy” seems somber but expresses positive ways to deal with suffering and heartache. Unlike “Ode to a Nightingale” or “Bright Star” which describe Keats’s emotions, “Ode on Melancholy” “exhorts” and “advises” readers to rise above sadness through a “fervent acceptance of earthly reality” (Hirst). “Ode on Melancholy” is not Keats venting out his own personal stresses as before; it is a poem where Keats promotes healing for melancholy hearts (Hirst).

Hirst, Wolf Z. “John Keats”. Twayne’s Author Series Online. 1999. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 9, 2010
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/Twayne/usenwrauth.htm

"John Keats." Concise Dictionary of British Literary Biography. Volume 3. (1992) Biography Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 16, 2010. http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/BioRC

Johnson, Jeannine. "Overview of 'Bright Star! Would I Were Steadfast As Thou Art'." Poetry for Students. Vol. 9 (2000) Literature Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 16, 2010. http://ezp.tccd.edu:2489/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CH1420031066&v=2.1&u=txshr acd2560&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w

Sorrow, Nature, Love and Talk of Poetry.

There are several factors that influence John Keats as a poet. Pain is the most prominent factor influencing Keats’s poetry. Wolf Hirst of Twayne’s Author series says pain and death are clearly expressed in Keats’s writings and that Keats cannot live without poetry because of its therapeutic effect on his troubled life: “I find that I [Keats] cannot live without poetry—without eternal poetry”. Reading is another influence that profoundly impacts Keats’s poetry. One source states that Keats “read voraciously” and had a devotion to reading (Authors Vol.58). Literatures role and influence on Keats is therefore pivotal to Keats’s development. Nature is another influence and theme in John Keats’s poetry. Keats’s poetry is said to be “rooted in the earth” and consistently employs aspects of the natural world (Hirst). Much of Keats’s poetry is also influenced by his relationships. As Authors and Artists for young adults points out many of Keats’s best poems come about during his relationship with Fanny Brawne. Lastly, Keats’s artistic style comes from his love for networking with other poets. He thus socialized with other recognized poets and developed his artistic style through their devotion to poetry. Keats artistry is influenced by many factors: sorrow, reading, nature, love and networking with other poets. Together these factors form what Keats is and what he is noted for.

"John Keats." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 58. (2004) Biography Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 2, 2010. http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/BioRC

Hirst, Wolf Z. “John Keats”. Twayne’s Author Series Online. 1999. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 9, 2010 http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/Twayne/usenwrauth.htm

The short but extraordinary career of Keats.

Keats’s career as a poet comes about late in his life. He does not fully enter into poetry until he leaves his profession as a surgeon and apothecary. Even after he decides on “poetry as a vocation” his career as a poet does not last but a few years (Concise Vol. 3). His career only consists of four years of writing as an active poet yet he “captured the imaginations and sentiments of generations” (Authors Vol. 58). His career had the potential to be even greater but as one source says, “Keats’s development [life] was cut short” (Concise Vol. 3); he nonetheless collects acclaim in such little time and forms a career that becomes noted among British poets. Furthermore, his career is set apart because he continually goes through tremendous struggles that few poets go through: “Few English authors…had as much direct observation and experience of suffering as John Keats” (Concise Vol. 3). Consequently the same source above suggests that Keats has “perhaps the most remarkable career of any English poet” given the circumstances of his life (Concise Vol.3).

"John Keats." Concise Dictionary of British Literary Biography. Volume 3. (1992) Biography Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 2, 2010.

"John Keats." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 58. (2004) Biography Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. April 2, 2010.

A Quick Look into the Sorrowful Life of John Keats

John Keats was born in London around 1795. His father, who was a stable foreman, died in a horse riding accident when John was eight years old. John’s mother also dies six years later when John is about fourteen years old; she would die of tuberculosis (Academy, 1). This passing of his parents tremendously impacted Keats, who continually read and participated in essay writing contests to cope with his familial losses (Authors, Vol. 58). Soon after these events, John is sent off to live with a family appointed by his grandmother, where he would then decide to become a surgeon. John however begins to be involved with an influential “circle of literary men“ as one source puts it; among these men were people like Bysshe Shelley and William Wordsworth (Academy, 1). Consequently, John decides to part ways with his medical profession and focus on writing instead. Though his beginning works are shunned Keats decides to keep writing. However, well into his career, John’s brother, Tom, becomes very ill of tuberculosis. As John cares for his ailing brother, he falls for a nearby woman named Fanny Brawne. Between the time that John falls in love with Fanny Brawne and his brother becomes hopelessly ill, Keats writes some of his most poignant poetry (Academy, 1). These intense turn of events seemed to bring out his most influential works. Keats would continue writing and interacting with Brawne until his death a short time afterward. Keats would die at the age of 25, of the same disease that his mother and brother died of years earlier, tuberculosis. As Authors and Artist for young Adults puts it: Keats grew up with death all around him, his early works were looked down upon and he only had “four years of active writing”, yet his poetry is among the most elite in British Literature. Though he went through so much adversity, his efforts remain a staple in the English language and have been called a “cornerstone of the British tradition” (Authors, vol. 58).

John Keats.” Academy of American Poets--Biographies of American Poets. (2008): 1-1. Literary Reference Center Plus. EBSCOhost. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. March 19, 2010. http: direct="true&db=lkh&AN=3620679&site=lrc-plus"

"John Keats." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 58. (2004) Biography Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Tarrant County Coll. Lib. Databases. March 19, 2010.