The romantic spirit of John Keats

Abstract

The word 'romantic' is elusive to define. 'Romanticism' has been said to lay claims to emotion and passion. It has also been associated with chivalry and remoteness from everyday life. I will attempt to account for the above perspective of 'romanticism' in Keats' poetry and to show how this notion of 'romanticism' is somewhat limiting when applied to the poetry of Keats.I intend to illustrate my contention by examining three particular poems - 'The Eve of St. Ages', 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci', and 'To Autumn'. Finally, I do not mean this study merely to give a wider appraisal of the main themes of Keats' poetry, but also to shed some light upon the perhaps obscurer but equally significant and important shades of meaning that are encompassed by the word 'romantc'.