The Poetical Works Of John Keats - Research Paper Example

Influences On The Work Of John Keats John Maynard Keats is one of the most influential romantic poets of all time. He is often associated with nostalgic and romantic poems and is often quoted for his description about beauty as contained in his work in Endymionand La Belle Sans Merci. His nostalgic and romantic poems can be traced back with his early influences that is often characterized by tragedy and fascination to the fairer sex. John Maynard Keats was an English romantic poet who was r born in London on October 31 1795[Poend]. His early life was described as tumultuous due to the series of challenges that besieged members of his family. One of the early incidences that rocked his childhood was the early demise of his father, Thomas Keats who died in an accident while riding on a horse. These early tragedies and loss that dislocated Keats early childhood influenced Keats ife and work [Poe14]. Likewise, being orphaned at such a young age, with three dependent siblings to support, John was noted to have endured considerable difficulties that he had to overcome poverty and loneliness.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). These experiences also provided him the emotional capacity to explore the depths and breadths of the human soul that animated his poems and writings. The biography of John Keats revealed that the emotional motivation of his works were driven by a harrowing nostalgia of the lost of his brothers. Keat’s t wrote his famous odes with thoughts of sad longing for his brothers whom he lost at an early age. One of his brothers, Tom, reportedly died of tuberculosis, while George, another brother, departed to America [Sta11] leaving him alone and lonely. 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 Autumnand 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 (biography.com, nd). 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” evident in the lines “Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep In the next valley-glades:       Was it a vision, or a waking dream?       Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?” (Keats, 1821) of which Keats Spoke about his heartache as he listens to a nightingale singing in the forest whose songs seems dreamy like that he does not know if he is awake or asleep or whether it is just a vision. The influence of romance or love were also evident in some of Keats’ works. Keats may be even more known with his romantic passages as modern readers tends to quote him albeit he also other has notable works. This is evident with his work in Endymion where he is quoted for his passage about beauty; “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:  Its lovliness increases; it will never  Pass into nothingness; but still will keep  A bower quiet for us, and a sleep  Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing” (Keats, 1821).  Love is also a strong emotional force that provided the impetus and inspiration for other literary artists and John Keats’ was no exception to it. Just like Shakespeare who has a “Dark Lady” (later identifed through Bernard Shaw’s play to be Mary Fitton) Keats also has his “Bright Star, would I were stedfast as thou art” (news.google.com nd). She was identifed as Isabella Jones who put romantic influence in Keat’s works [Poe141]. The exact date of Keat’s affair with Isabella Jones was not identified but it was identified that the poet visit her frequently during the winter of 1818-1819 and that the nature of their relationship was intimate. The closest estimate was that Keats and Jones met in London before February 19, 1819 before “The Eve of St. Mark” was written where the character of Bertha was said to be Isabella Jones because both of them had caged parrot (White, 2010) It is unclear how close Keats and Isabella Joneswere but his writings suggests that Isabella Jones did have a significant influence on Keats’ writing as his lover with how Keats described her in through the character of Bertha in “The Eve of St. Mark” (White, 2010). There is also another girl who was believed to have a romantic influence on Keat’s works. It was believed that Fanny Brawne must have some romantic influence to Keats considering that he was engaged to her and and that the poem “Bright Star” may have been an allusion to Fanny Brawne (The Milwaukee Journal, 1954). 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 (The Life of John Keats, 2004, p. 1). 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 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, Keats love for her was more than physical attraction [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. It served as the soul of his works without which, it would have been unclear if Keats would have written with such depth and emotional profoundness. 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 32. Endymion. Keats, John. 1884. The Poetical Works of John Keats. (n.d.). 32. Endymion. Keats, John. 1884. The Poetical Works of John Keats. Retrieved August 22, 2014, from http://www.bartleby.com/126/32.html Bervin, J. (n.d.). Ode to a Nightingale.Poetry Foundation. Retrieved August 22, 2014, from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173 John Keat and his White Lady. (n.d.). The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved August 22, 2014, from http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19540422&id=tksaAAAAIBAJ White, R. (n.d.). JOHN KEATS: A LITERARY LIFE by R.s. White, Reviewed by Jack Stillinger. JOHN KEATS: A LITERARY LIFE by R.s. White, Reviewed by Jack Stillinger. Retrieved August 22, 2014, from http://www.nbol-19.org/view_doc.php?index=113 Poend: , (Poets.org, n.d.), Poe14: , (Poetry Foundation, 2014), Sta11: , (Stanford University, 2011), Poe141: , (Poem Hunter, 2014), The04: , (The Life of John Keats, 2004), The04: , (The Life of John Keats, 2004, p. 1), Read More