Influences on the Work of John Keats - Essay Example

Influences on the Work of John Keats John Keats was an English romantic poet who was reportedly born in London on the 31st of October, 1795 [Poend]. His early life was described as tumultuous due to the series of challenges that besieged members of his family. The early demise of his father, Thomas Keats, due to an accident while riding on a horse, was noted to be the first of the succession of losses and dislocations that influenced Keats life and work [Poe14]. Likewise, being orphaned at such a young age, with three siblings to protect, John was noted to have endured considerable difficulties to overcome poverty, loneliness, as well as struggle to support and survive. As emphasized, these adversities allegedly contributed to his understanding of the role of the artist as the explorer of how art’s power can bring meaning and consolation to people’s suffering. (Poetry Foundation, 2014, par. 5). The current discourse hereby contends that the biggest influences on the work of John Keats include personal experiences on loneliness, love, and illness. The biography of John Keats revealed that the poet wrote his famous odes, with thoughts of longing for his brothers. One of his brothers, Tom, reportedly died of tuberculosis, while George, another brother, departed to America [Sta11]. The works were described to have been strongly influenced by emotions ranging from loneliness, longing, and despair, to wit: “The poems known as the Great Odes—“Ode to a Nightingale,” “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” “Ode to Melancholy,” “To Autumn,” and others, written in the spring of 1819, after Tom’s death and George’s departure—describe the misery into which the poet had plunged after the loss of his brothers. Likewise, the themes in some of these odes have been influenced by the poet’s adeptness to focus in humanities and the arts as a means of dissociating himself to feelings of isolation. More specifically, in the “Ode to a Nightingale”, the narrator describes his fascination with the expressive power of music, and in the “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, the speaker talks about his admiration of how sculpture reflects the stories frozen in time. The influence of romance or love were also noted to be present in some of Keats’ works. As love had been a strong emotional force that provided the impetus and inspiration for other literary artists, John Keats’ romantic experiences shared similar influence. Accordingly, one influential person in Keats’ life was Isabella Jones [Poe141]. As emphasized in various works, the poet used to visit her frequently during the winter of 1818-1819; he also stated that their relationship was intimate. It is unclear how close they were, but Bate and Gittings suggest the trysts may represent a sexual initiation for Keats. In one case or another, it is necessary to take into consideration the fact that Isabella Jones did have a significant influence on Keats’ writing as his close friend and, supposedly, a muse. Concurrently, another publicized love interest, who John reportedly intended to marry was Fanny Brawne. Thereby, prominent portions of his life focused on his love interest for Fanny, of which he reportedly wrote his well-known poem titled “Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art”. In this piece, Keats refers to his beloved as to a star and celebrates her physical beauty as well as delight, abandon and conciliation he experinces while being with her. What is more, the profound impact of Fanny Brawne was reported to have contributed to John’s writing of one of the best works, the ballad “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” (“The Beatiful Lady Without Mercy”), which is the moving and mystical story of a beautiful lady and the knight whose heart she breaks and whom she leaves suffering [The04]. Finally, John Keats’ life was reportedly beseiged with illnesses from alleged contraction of venereal disease to bouts of tuberculosis and hysterical illness [The04]. In one of the poet’s musings, he was noted to have written: “If my health would bear it, I could write a Poem […] which would be a consolation for people in such a situation as mine. I would show some one in Love as I am, with a person living in such Liberty as you do” [The04]. From the written discourse, it was evident that Keats’ health afflictions and the experiences of loved ones who died of the dreaded disease; in conjunction with his love for Brawne continue to be used as subjects of his work. His biography noted that even during his final month, Brawne had been significantly present in his life as a source of strength and a memory to hold on. As emphasized, the poet thought and talked a lot about Brawne and, as his friends believed, love to her was more a physical disease and a source of Keats’ problems [The04]. Overall, the adversities in John Keats’ life provided the influencial force for his writings. The poverty and lack of financial affluence triggered profound and deep thoughts that inspired Keats to write with strong sentiments and feelings about nature, love, longing, humanities, and life, in general. At a young age of 25, his death could be regarded as an instrument to inspire other poets to emulate the profound love and innate talent exhibited for writing. References Poend: , (Poets.org, n.d.), Poe14: , (Poetry Foundation, 2014), Sta11: , (Stanford University, 2011), Poe141: , (Poem Hunter, 2014), The04: , (The Life of John Keats, 2004, p. 1), The04: , (The Life of John Keats, 2004), Read More