JohnKeats

　　Inhisshortlife,JohnKeatswrotesomeofthemostbeautifulandenduringpoemsintheEnglishlanguage.Amonghisgreatestachievementsishissequenceofsixlyricodes,writtenbetweenMarchandSeptember1819--astonishingly,whenKeatswasonlytwenty-fouryearsold.Keats'spoeticachievementismadeallthemoremiraculousbytheageatwhichitended:Hediedbarelyayearafterfinishingtheode"ToAutumn,"inFebruary1821.Keatswasbornin1795toalower-middle-classfamilyinLondon.Whenhewasstillyoung,helostbothhisparents.Hismothersuccumbedtotuberculosis,thediseasethateventuallykilledKeatshimself.Whenhewasfifteen,Keatsenteredintoamedicalapprenticeship,andeventuallyhewenttomedicalschool.Butbythetimeheturnedtwenty,heabandonedhismedicaltrainingtodevotehimselfwhollytopoetry.Hepublishedhisfirstbookofpoemsin1817;theydrewsavagecriticalattacksfromaninfluentialmagazine,andhissecondbookattractedcomparativelylittlenoticewhenitappearedthenextyear.Keats'sbrotherTomdiedoftuberculosisinDecember1818,andKeatsmovedinwithafriendinHampstead.InHampstead,hefellinlovewithayounggirlnamedFannyBrawne.Duringthistime,Keatsbegantoexperiencetheextraordinarycreativeinspirationthatenabledhimtowrite,atafranticrate,allhisbestpoemsinthetimebeforehedied.Hishealthandhisfinancesdeclinedsharply,andhesetoffforItalyinthesummerof1820,hopingthewarmerclimatemightrestorehishealth.Heneverreturnedhome.Hisdeathbroughttoanuntimelyendoneofthemostextraordinarypoeticcareersofthenineteenthcentury--indeed,oneofthemostextraordinarypoeticcareersofalltime.Keatsneverachievedwidespreadrecognitionforhisworkinhisownlife(hisbitterrequestforhistombstone:"Hereliesonewhosenamewaswritonwater"),buthewassustainedbyadeepinnerconfidenceinhisownability.Shortlybeforehisdeath,heremarkedthathebelievedhewouldbeamong"theEnglishpoets"whenhehaddied.Keatswasoneofthemostimportantfiguresofearlynineteenth-centuryRomanticism,amovementthatespousedthesanctityofemotionandimagination,andprivilegedthebeautyofthenaturalworld.ManyoftheideasandthemesevidentinKeats'sgreatodesarequintessentiallyRomanticconcerns:thebeautyofnature,therelationbetweenimaginationandcreativity,theresponseofthepassionstobeautyandsuffering,andthetransienceofhumanlifeintime.Thesumptuoussensorylanguageinwhichtheodesarewritten,theiridealisticconcernforbeautyandtruth,andtheirexpressiveagonyinthefaceofdeathareallRomanticpreoccupations--thoughatthesametime,theyarealluniquelyKeats's.Takentogether,theodesdonotexactlytellastory--thereisnounifying"plot"andnorecurringcharacters--andthereislittleevidencethatKeatsintendedthemtostandtogetherasasingleworkofart.Nevertheless,theextraordinarynumberofsuggestiveinterrelationsbetweenthemisimpossibletoignore.Theodesexploreanddevelopthesamethemes,partakeofmanyofthesameapproachesandimages,and,orderedinacertainway,exhibitanunmistakablepsychologicaldevelopment.Thisisnottosaythatthepoemsdonotstandontheirown--theydo,magnificently;oneofthegreatestfelicitiesofthesequenceisthatitcanbeenteredatanypoint,viewedwhollyorpartiallyfromanyperspective,andstillprovemovingandrewardingtoread.The