(background) Interior of

Keatss house in Hampstead

The Late Romantics

Selected Poetryby John Keats

did you know? John Keats . . .

was a passionate admirer of William Shakespeare.

became engaged to, but never married, the love of his life.

wrote all of his masterpieces in one year, at the age of 22.

Meet the Author

John Keatss life was tragically cut short by illness. Yet despite his early death at 25, he managed to compose some of the most evocative and exquisite poems in the English language.

Early Upheaval Born in 1795 to the manager of a livery stable, Keats spent his early years in a joyful household. These carefree times lasted until 1804, when his father died in a riding accident. In 1810, his mother died from tuberculosis. Despite this upheaval, Keats remained for a time at Enfield school, where a teacher, Charles Cowden Clarke, strongly encouraged his passion for reading and his literary ambitions.

A Passion for Poetry Shortly after the death of his mother, Keats was removed from school by his guardian and apprenticed to a surgeon. At the age of 18, he began writing poetry, which soon became the consuming passion of his life. After working as a wound dresser

in a London hospital, Keats abandoned medicine for

the less certain career of a poet. Initially, Keats experienced

little success. His first book, Poems (1817), sold poorly, and critics savagely attacked his second book, Endymion (1818), a long narrative

poem inspired by Greek

legend. Although the critical reviews disappointed Keats, they spurred him on.

Triumph and Tragedy Beginning in 1818, Keats confronted a series of physical and emotional crises. Overexerting himself during a walking tour that summer, he fell seriously ill and soon showed early symptoms of tuberculosis. In the fall, he watched as his beloved brother Tom endured the final, terrible stages of that disease and died. Adding greatly to his distress during this period was his passionate love for the young Fanny Brawne, whom he had met prior to Toms death. Although he became engaged to Fanny, he was prevented by poor health and poverty from marrying her, a situation that caused him severe anguish. Amazingly, in the midst of this misfortune, Keats produced his greatest works. Widely praised by critics, these poems conveyed Keatss intense longing for Fanny, for immortality, and for the beauty of the natural world.

An Early End In the fall of 1820, as his illness progressed, Keats followed the advice of friends and moved to Italy in search of a milder climate. He died less than six months later and was buried in Rome under an epitaph he had composed for himself: Here lies one whose name was writ in water.

John Keats 17951821

KEYWORD: HML12-878AVIDEO TRAILER

life. After working as a wound din a London hospital

abandoned medithe less certainof a poet. InitiaKeats experienc

little success. Hbook, Poems (181s sold poorly, and csavagely attacked second book, Endy(1818), a long na

poem inspired b

Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML12-878B

Author Online

878

READING 1E Use books of quotations (printed or electronic) as needed. 3 Evaluate the changes in form in poetry across literary time periods. 7 Analyze how the authors patterns of imagery reveal theme, set tone, and create meaning in metaphors, passages, and literary works. RC-12(A) Reflect on understanding to monitor comprehension.

What is

beauty?Some people define beauty in physical

terms, as in Thats a beautiful

necklace. Others look at it in

philosophical ways and try to equate

beauty with another abstract idea, such

as truth. John Keats saw beauty in both

physical and philosophical terms. He

also recognized beauty in things that

you might not normally think of as

beautiful. I have loved the principle of

beauty in all things, he once wrote.

QUICKWRITE Books of quotations,

which can be found in library reference

sections or online, can provide you with

ideas about how famous writers over

time have viewed important ideas and

topics, such as the definition of beauty.

Using a book of quotations, find some

famous statements that deal with

beauty or that define it in some way.

Choose two that are quite dissimilar.

In what ways do they differ? What do

those differences reveal about each

writer? Which do you think is more

true?

poetic form: ode

An ode is an exalted, complex lyric poem that develops a single,

dignified theme. Typically, odes have a serious tone and appeal

to both the imagination and the intellect. Many commemorate

events or praise people or the beauty of nature. Though the

ode had existed since ancient times, the romantic poets gave

this poetic form new life. Keatss Ode on a Grecian Urn, To

Autumn, and Ode to a Nightingale are examples of odes.

literary analysis: imagery

Keatss poetry is known for being full of sounds, sights, smells,

and warmth. He achieves these sensations through imagery,

words and phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses

and create sensory experiences for the reader. Sometimes, a

poet will create imagery in which one sensation is described

in terms of another; this technique is called synesthesia. For

example, in Ode on a Grecian Urn, the phrase Heard melodies

are sweet describes a sound in terms of a taste. As you read

these poems, note the type of imagery Keats uses to vividly

convey his ideas to the reader.

reading strategy: paraphrase

Keatss poetry can be challenging to read because of the

inverted syntaxa change in word order that places the verb

before the subject. Poets of his era often inverted word order

to meet the demands of poetic meter and rhyme. To help you

understand the complex phrasing and sentence structures

within the poems, paraphrase, or restate in your own words,

difficult or confusing passages. As you read the poems, use

a chart like the one shown to record your paraphrases.

Poem Keatss Phrase Paraphrase

To Autumn . . . bless/With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run

Bless with fruit the vines that grow around the thatched roofs

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

879

When I have fears that I may cease to beBefore my pen has gleand my teeming brain,

Before high piled books, in charactry,Hold like rich garners the full ripend grain;

When I behold, upon the nights starrd face,Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,

And think that I may never live to traceTheir shadows, with the magic hand of chance; a

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,That I shall never look upon thee more,

Never have relish in the fairy powerOf unreflecting love;then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and thinkTill love and fame to nothingness do sink.

When I Have Fears

That I May Cease to Be

5

10

John Keats

Literary Analysis

1. Clarify What two things does the speaker sometimes

fear?

2. Interpret In line 9, what does Keats mean by the phrase

fair creature of an hour?

Analyze VisualsDescribe the artists use of light

and shadow in the painting.

What thoughts or emotions are

suggested by the lighting?

2 gleand: collected all the bits

from; examined bit by bit.

3 charactry: handwriting.

4 garners: storage bins.

a PARAPHRASE

In your own words, restate the meaning of lines 78.

John Keats (1845), Joseph Severn. Oil. The Granger Collection, New York.

880 unit 4: the flowering of romanticism

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and blessWith fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shellsWith a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has oer-brimmed their clammy cells. b

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twind flowers:And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;Or by a cider-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours. c

To Autumn

5

10

15

20

John Keats

15 winnowing (wGnPI-Gng):

separating chaff from grain by

blowing the chaff away.

17 hook: a scythe, or tool with

a curved blade used for mowing

and reaping.

18 swath: a row of grain to be cut.

4 thatch-eaves: protruding edges

of thatched roofs.

b Imagery

Reread lines 111. Point out

words and phrases that

suggest the abundance of

the setting.

c ParaPHraSe

Who is being addressed in lines

1222? In your own words,

restate the speakers message.

882 unit 4: the flowering of romanticism

25

30

Where are the songs of Spring? Aye, where are they?Think not of them, thou hast thy music too

While barred clouds bloom the