John Keats (1795-1821)
Study goal
After this lesson, you will have learned about Romantic poetry through the study of one of Keats' poems, and have seen how his work still influences poets today.
Study planner
Time involved: two hours
Method: Self-study
Assessment form: Essay
Basic study overview:
Step 1: Read the Background Information about Keats (see below)
Step 2: Read the poem "To Autumn" and complete related assignments (individually)
Step 3: Checkpoint: discuss your completed assignments with your teacher
Step 4: The final assignment is to write a short essay, which will be marked according to IB criteria. Click here for assessment guidelines.
Method: Self-study
Assessment form: Essay
Basic study overview:
Step 1: Read the Background Information about Keats (see below)
Step 2: Read the poem "To Autumn" and complete related assignments (individually)
Step 3: Checkpoint: discuss your completed assignments with your teacher
Step 4: The final assignment is to write a short essay, which will be marked according to IB criteria. Click here for assessment guidelines.
Background Information
John Keats was a man of humble origins: his father was the head ostler at a London Inn, where his mother was the daughter of the leaseholder. Ín 1803, Keats attended a private school, where he became friendly with the headmaster's son, who was interested in literature and reading. In 1804, Keats's father died, his mother subsequently remarried and Keats moved in with his grandparents. His mother died in 1810, when Keats was just 15. This domestic instability was a contributing factor to Keat's volatile character with violent mood swings. Short of money, Keats was forced to get a job and started working as an assitant apothecary assistant. From there, he went on to study medicine and got his licence in 1816. Despite having to study a lot, Keats still made time for his most important hobby: literature. By the time Keats was 21, balancing his studies in medicine and his great interest in poetry became too difficult - he chose what he liked most: poetry. In his poetry, Keats used a mix of concrete images, facts, the real world of pain, sorrow and human suffering with an attractive escape to nature and paradise, as created by literature and art. However, Keats was not satisfied and went in search of new experiences to inspire him. He travelled, enjoyed nature and landscapes, particularly in Scotland. This had an emotional impact on him and he went on to write even more impressive poetry, which we will go on to study. In 1818, Keats met a woman who was to inspire his work profoundly: Fanny Brawne. Their friendship and love was to be short lived, however. Keats contracted tuberculosis and, in 1820, decided to move to Italy, where the air was cleaner, to try to get his health back. Unfortunately, his plan failed and he died in 1821. |
The following trailer for the film "Bright Star" gives us a quick insight into the kind of man that Keats was, and also of his love for Fanny Brawne