john keats week 7. john keats (1795 - 1821) born: october 31, 1795 moorfields, london, england died:...
TRANSCRIPT
John Keats (1795 - 1821)
Born: October 31, 1795Moorfields, London, England
Died: February 23, 1821Rome, Italy
John Keats
The excellence of every art is its intensity, capable of making all disagreables evaporate from their being in close relationship with Beauty and Truth."
Beauty (from Endymion)
A THING of beauty is a joy for ever: Its lovliness 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, a
nd quiet breathing.
This sketch was made by Joseph Severn as he watched over the dying poet at 26 Piazza di Spagna, Rome.
from Lamia, Isabella, &c. [1820]
Ode to a Nightingale Ode on a Grecian Urn To Autumn
Ode on Melancholy Ode to Psyche
Eternity
The poet sees the Urn as an embodiment of permanence, thriving in the passing of time, “Thou foster-child of silence and slow time, /Sylvan historian, who canst thus express /A flowery tale.” Keats
The urn
Keats became enchanted with Greek art after seeing an exposition of sculptures from the Parthenon, held at the British Museum.
"Ode on a Grecian Ode" is based on a series of paradoxes and opposites:
the discrepancy between the urn with its frozen images and the dynamic life portrayed on the urn,
the human and changeable versus the immortal and permanent,
participation versus observation, life versus art.
More links
http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry/odeonagrecianurn.html
http://www.enotes.com/ode-grecian/ http://englishhistory.net/keats/contents.h
tml
Homework (I): On “Ode on a Grecian Urn”1. individual, paired, or group
performance2. Read the entire poem and have
your response in any form.3. advised: interpretation, story-
telling, dramatic performance, background music, speech, dialogues, or PowerPoint materials