This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
Work of the principal of the Romantic movement of England received constant critical attacks from the periodicals of the day during his short life. He nevertheless posthumously immensely influenced poets, such as Alfred Tennyson. Elaborate word choice and sensual imagery characterize poetry, including a series of odes, masterpieces of Keats among the most popular poems in English literature. Most celebrated letters of Keats expound on his aesthetic theory of "negative capability."
Romantic Era literature. I have a hard time with it. Honestly, I have very mixed feelings towards the 1800s in general but I have very mixed feelings towards the Romantic era (and its transcendentalist American cousins). Now I have reviewed Romantic era figures before (most noticeably my four reviews of Edgar Allan Poe), but how do I feel about English Romanticism? Well I talked already about Wordsworth(punny name) and Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, so in my next few reviews I will talk about a (maybe "THE") "Romantic era" poet who I am most fond of. I will discuss my impression of him here and then I will try to give short reviews of his celebrated "Odes" individually.
I don't exactly remember where or what book I first discovered him at but I must say that one makes him stand a part for me is that he comes off so alive and colorful (in a serious way) and I find myself actually believing him compared to his peers (sorry P.B. Shelley).
Another thing that really impresses me about Keats is how well he composes his verse. Calling it a line doesn't sound right because it is more like a lyric. His poems often sound like they should be sung.And I always have an urge to put music to them in my head. I sometimes wish I had a gift for putting the sort of King James Bible sounding words to print like he does (provided I didn't die of freak illness early on I would be rich!).
Now his "Odes" aren't my favorite poems (that honor probably goes to The Waste Land, and he is not my favorite poet (that is a toss-up between T.S. Eliot and Langston Hughes. But I do say that for me he stands miles above his contemporaries in the field of poetics.