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Nicholas Hernandez

Mr. Fernando

British Literature

28 October 2018

John Keats Nature Boy

The Romantic Movement occurred between 1798 and 1850, where in England, ideas such

as Self-Identity and Where to Fit In were prominent. Poet John Keats found himself working in

and creating during this era as he produced great works that would allow artists to rethink their

approach on poetry most importantly in nature and their experiences, but even more so in their

identity. Keats lived a short 25 year life, but despite his early death, he was able to prove himself

in the poetic scene by developing and creating his own writing style and self doctrines. John

Keats experienced death in many different forms throughout his life which led him into

depressions but his method of poetry showed itself to be cheerful and resemble more optimistic

characteristics. The young author was greatly influenced by William Wordsworth as well as

principles that governed the British Romantic time period. John Keats, considered one of the

better known British Romantic authors, utilizes sound and language in connecting the natural

world to all of human experience, from love and beauty to death and depression, in his works

‘Endymion’ and ‘To Autumn’, leaning heavily on form, as well as the influences of his family

and his contemporaries, Keats creates themes that become the definition of all of Literature.

John Keats was born in London on October 31, 1795. With 3 other siblings, his childhood

was happy and everything around him was perfect. The first major impact on his life was the

passing of his father when John was 8. Unlike the rest of his family, John’s father died of

“natural causes”, a horsing accident, but the rest were not so fortunate. This death left John’s
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mother to support the family by herself. His mother remarried and unfortunately lost most of the

families wealth in doing so. She would then leave her four children for her mother to take care

of. In 1810, when John was 15 his mother died of Tuberculosis, it would be the first of few times

Keats experienced the pain that and suffering that came with this disease. Around the time of her

death, John was attending Enfield Academy where he studied Art and Literature. He was pulled

out of school this same year and made the decision to study in becoming a surgeon.

While he studied medicine, Literature and Art were still of major importance to him,

always being in the back his mind. Throughout his life, Keats would meet and interact with many

great writers - like Leigh Hunt, William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley - who would

affect the way the young author perceived life and the ideas he would carry with himself in his

writings. The first of them he met was Leigh Hunt, the publisher of The Examiner. A few months

after meeting Hunt, Keats’ grandmother, who had taken care of him and his siblings for a

significant portion of their lives, died of causes to which I am unaware of. Her death in 1814 led

him into a depression and brought on anxiety through uncertainness on where to carry himself

then on.

It was one year later when Keats would begin writing again and he truly take after his

idol, Wordsworth. In a letter to a friend, John molded the beginnings of his ideas about how

poetry should be regarded. From these experiences, John then went on to read more of William

Wordsworth and the young writer was immediately drawn towards Wordsworth’s naturalism and

direct appeal. Keats became fond of the natural world and was inspired by the way Wordsworth

used it as a way of showing the reflection of a state of mind. From his readings, Keats took away

the belief that poetry should be a thing which enters into ones soul.
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A few years later, the former friendship between writer and publisher allowed Keats’ first

work to be published, titled ‘Poems’. In 1816, Leigh introduced Keats to Percy Shelley and the

two created a friendship that revolved around helping each other in their respective poetic works.

Although Keats wasn’t inspired or influenced by the works Shelley produced, like the other

poets, their relationship developed through reading the others works and developing ideas. They

each supported each other, criticizing when it was helpful and giving advice when it was needed.

Shelley even suggested that Keats come to live with him during Keats time of death, but the

request was declined.

In 1818, Keats would publish one of his most popular writings, ‘Endymion’ with the help

of Leigh Hunt. In his work, Keats describes the main character, Endymion, at a gathering where

the entire village has come to worship Pan, god of shepherds and flocks. Keats makes it a point

that everyone is sharing stories of love, but Endymion, unlike the others is depressed. Endymion

describes his sadness when he recalls a dream where he met and fell in love with an image of the

perfect woman, The Moon. Though when Endymion woke up, he realized he lived in a lonely

world and so he decided to search and never stop because this love was necessary in his life.

Book 1 emphasizes themes like beauty and nature, but at the same time answers to sub

rooted ideas involving happiness and love. The two major themes become defining factors in

Endymion’s life; Keats creates him to express feelings like sadness and depression, only so

Endymion can break from these constraints and better by himself finding love.

To Keats, the quality of beauty becomes a very important factor in his narrative; he

introduces his work by stating:

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“A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Its loveliness 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. 1-5)

Lucie Lowry, University of Louisville, describes that in these first few lines, John Keats begins

Endymion with the idea of immortal beauty. She explains that Keats believed happiness lies in

being able to see true beauty and this search is what Endymion sought out to achieve (Lowry.

44). John Keats uses his perception of beauty to enhance its importance throughout the book and

most effectively during events within Endymion’s dream.

As it happened, Endymion was looking up at the stars when heaven seemed to open right

above him and he would get a glimpse of true beauty, exclaiming “from opening clouds, I saw

emerge the loveliest moon, that ever silver’d o’er … she did soar so passionately bright” (Keats.

591-594) When this occurred, Endymion was struck with awe and seemed unable to express

what he saw and felt. This moment he shared with his love and would urge him to search for her

and the beauty he longed for, a sensuous beauty.

John Keats would capitalize on this beauty and take advantage of instances in his own

life to develop ideas within his work and as Lucie Lowry puts it “[Keats’] argument at this point

recurs to [his] conception of ultimate beauty”. She explains that Keats’ beliefs are tied to the

thought that man is united with beauty through the appreciation of the loveliness of nature. He

believes that the beauty of love is the highest good any man can know and that beauty to Keats

grants the greatest satisfaction (Lowry. 61-62) To Keats, beauty in his work serves as a major

plot device where he allows more ideas to become present.

In the beginning of his work, Keats uses beauty to establish nature, always relying on the

former to connect much of his themes together:

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“The sun, the moon, trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon. For simple sheep; and

such are daffodils with the green world they live in; and clear rills that for

themselves a cooling covert make 'gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,

rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms” (Keats. 13-19)

Within his first stanza, John Keats presents the basis for what his book will consist of. Relying

on principles of literature that pertain to description and intricacy, Keats shows the beauty of

nature as elements of the physical world.

John describes how the world around him influenced the generalities he wrote into his

work. These involve basic uses of imagery that describe a way of life:

“Broad leaved fig trees even now foredoom their ripen’d fruitage; yellow girted bees

their golden honeycombs; our village leas their fairest-blossom’d beans and

poppied corn … low creeping strawberries their summer coolness; pent up butterflies their

freckled wings; the fresh budding year all its completions- be quickly near,

by every wind that nods the mountain pine, o forester divine!” (Keats. 252-

262)

This snippet utilizes an assortment of nature related qualities, encompassing features like food,

the season and insects. Keats’ use of details allow feelings like ease and calmness to overcome

you, urging a sense of peacefulness. The beauty of nature is significant within scenes because

this describes the intimacy of moments and how they should be felt. Keats utilizes the natural

world and allows events to occur in real time where they can reflect or encourage certain feelings

and achieve desired reactions.

Reactions of the reader begin to involve the sensation of happiness and love where both

becoming important features within Endymion’s life. After his encounter with the Moon
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Goddess, Endymion realizes that to be happy, he must find his love. In doing so, the quest begins

as he must search for the love that will bring happiness.

When he was finished writing, John took time to examine the significance of poetry and

its role within society and the world around him. Keats’ works, although not acclaimed for

staring the movement, does reflect Romantic Literature and its ideas. He breaks off from

Romanticism in a sense as he begins to develop his own content and styles of writing. Keats

visualized a style of art that took inspiration from human experience rather than making up

stories; his work as a writer is authentic and he embodies characteristics pertaining to

discovering his new self, with a majority of his works revolving around concepts like nature,

identity and experiences. This idea then became known as Keats’ doctrine, Negative Capability.

He saw this as "the idea that humans are capable of transcending intellectual or social constraints

and far exceed, creatively or intellectually, what human nature is thought to allow.” In a sense he

sought out creativity not only from himself, but other writers. He saw an expanding of norms

where poets thought outside of the box and used real life examples as a basis for their poetry.

It was then during the summer of 1818 Keats found out that his brother was sick

with Tuberculosis and while he was taking care of him, John met and fell in love with Fanny

Brawne. Two months after meeting her he wrote the ode ‘To Autumn’. An ode consists of one

theme where an individual or event is praised and nature is usually described intellectually and

emotionally. This poem about the changing of weather from fall to winter months is one of

Keats’ most iconic works. ‘To Autumn’ emphasizes the theme of sound to express all the great

things about the season. In his ode, Keats writes about the process of harvesting crops and the

beautiful days that come along with them. He explains life as becoming more relaxed, where

days become colder and people love their afternoon sunsets. All of these qualities he connects
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together through language, a defining factor in his work that very easily sets the mood of his

poems and influences the feeling of the reader.

A very notable feature within the poem is the way he uses senses as a medium, “Thy hair

soft-lifted by the winnowing wind; Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep, Drows'd with the

fume of poppies, while thy hook” (Keats.15-17). John Keats creates notable instances in his

work to illustrate his purpose, both when he discusses the flow of hair in the wind, and when he

describes a person asleep in the field being subdued by the smell of flowers.

Keats uses examples like barren fields and the wind to convey to the reader the changing

of seasons through imagery along with great description. His portrayal of the major theme,

sound, presents itself when Keats uses animals to characterize the music of the season, “And

full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourne; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft the

red-breast whistles from a garden-croft; and gathering swallows twitter in the skies.” (Keats. 30-

33) Within these last lines of his poem, Keats brings together many voices to give a true

understanding of how Autumn should be perceived. His composition proves the idea of sound

prevalent and makes it effective within the entirety of the poem.

One of his more illustrious subjects within the work is his take on the the sense of sight

and using it to his advantage in describing color and the changing environment around him,

“While barren clouds bloom the soft-dying day, and touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue”

(Keats. 25-26) Keats attempts to explain the way that clouds tint the sky and meet reaped fields

with their unique pink color. His explanations of the world around him are accurate and Keats

capitalizes on realistic elements in everyday life to gain favor with his readers.

A final sentiment within this work, although not explicitly stated, does meet the criteria

of an ode, relying on devices like human experience and nature. All throughout the poem Keats
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speaks of windy days and fields stripped of their crop, he recounts moments of people gathering

to make cider and various sorts of animals playing their harmonious tune.

When he accurately describes the smell of flowers and the color of clouds, readers are

able to experience it both in his work but most importantly in real life. They can see at the same

time how the weather changes and days lengthen, how winter would arrive soon and deprive

everything of its warmth. The greatest part of his poem is that if you read it during the correct

time of year, everything he states is perfectly accurate; the sights, smells and feelings of outdoor

activities hold true, even almost 200 years later.

Sadly, after the works completion, John’s brother died of Tuberculosis ultimately

affecting his writing. The poet was unable to create for over a year and didn’t come back to it

until late 1819. It was this year that Keats became ill with Tuberculosis. From advice by his

doctor, John went to live in Italy during winter and then Rome. This trip would end his

relationship with Fanny and he would never be able to marry her. He battled for his life for a

year but as his condition worsened, John’s final few months of life were the worst. It was in

February 1821 that he died in the arms of his friend.

John Keats created lasting works that left impacts on how literature as a whole would be

written and perceived in our modern era. His process of using examples from the daily life

granted readers experiences they felt were true. Keats multiple occasions re-thought elements of

poetry, coming to the conclusion time and time again that works should reflect influences from

your life and be convey as so to the reader. His opinion on nature can be seen throughout his

works and the theme becomes necessary to him, always relying on it to show the real world.
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Works Cited

“John Keats”. Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/

people/john-keats-9361568. Accessed October 4th

“John Keats”. Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-

keats. Accessed October 4th

Lowry, Lucie. “An analysis and interpretation of Keats' Endymion.” University of Louisville,

https://ir.library.louisville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2829&context=etd

“Endymion Book 1.” 32. Endymion. Keats, John. 1884. The Poetical Works of John Keats,

www.bartleby.com/126/32.html. Accessed October 6th

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“Endymion: A Poetic Romance Themes.” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/topics/

endymion/themes. Accessed 6th

Keats, John. “To Autumn by John Keats.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation,

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44484/to-autumn. Accessed October 4th