| John Keats, I am not sure why but he has always | | | | effect of introducing him to many new |
| struck me as being somewhat old, but of course | | | | acquaintances, one of which was Benjamin Bailey, |
| he was never old, he died at the tender age of | | | | whom he went to stay in Oxford with and who |
| twenty-five. I don't know why I think that way, | | | | had a great influence on his work. Bailey lauded |
| whether it be his worldly views or his whole of | | | | over Keats' talent, encouraging the young writer's |
| the moon visions or perhaps the way the legion | | | | endeavours. His time at Oxford allowed him to |
| of Romantics exalt him so. He was a Londoner, | | | | think more deeply about his poetry, study other |
| born in 1795 to a tavern owner, remarkably the | | | | poets and refine his own style. However, on his |
| tavern still stands, nowadays trading as Keats at | | | | return to London he was to become completely |
| the Globe. Life wasn't easy for the young Keats, | | | | distracted by his brother's dire illness. In 1818, he |
| both his parents died before he was ten, he was | | | | toured the Lake District and Scotland with Charles |
| removed from his education and apprenticed to a | | | | Brown, once again away from all distractions, he |
| surgeon. However, he continued an absorption in | | | | raised his work to a new level. But upon his return |
| literature that had developed during his early | | | | to London the problems that he faced were |
| schooling, spending huge amounts of time writing | | | | mountainous - his brother's illness, continued |
| a translation of Virgil's Aeneid. But he still did not | | | | criticism of his work and all the distractions of the |
| envision himself as a poet, never actually writing a | | | | city. In addition, Keats' own health was in decline |
| single line until he was eighteen. | | | | and he was falling in love, it appeared that the |
| Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene was to | | | | work would be put on the backburner. |
| change all that, awakening Keats and stirring up | | | | Fortunately, it was not to be the case, sure there |
| the literary beast inside of him. Spencer's parallel | | | | were throwaway love songs but he also |
| universe enthralled him, as did the Spenserian | | | | composed his wondrous and eternally beautiful |
| stanza, the allegorical genius and the symbolic | | | | Odes. The boy had arrived, he would now |
| words - all of it was to enchant the little surgeon, | | | | forever be remembered as a great poet. |
| he would never be the same again. He began to | | | | Tragically, Keats would not live much longer, he |
| seek out those who had gone before, | | | | contracted tuberculosis in early 1820, he himself |
| Shakespeare and Chaucer becoming great heroes | | | | dwelt on no false pretence, he realised that it was |
| of his. Keats was hooked, he abandoned all | | | | the beginning of the end. Poignantly, the world had |
| intention of pursuing a medical career, he | | | | begun to sit up and take notice of Keats' genius, |
| immersed himself in the literary world and in 1817 | | | | he was triumphing whilst dying. A last ditch |
| he published his first book of poetry entitled | | | | attempt was hatched to improve his health, with |
| Poems. It didn't light up the world, it sold poorly | | | | a trip to Italy and it's warm climate being |
| and was savaged by the critics. | | | | arranged in late 1820. He was accompanied on the |
| Undaunted, Keats embarked on a road-trip, writing | | | | journey by his friend the artist Anthony Severn. |
| parts of what was to be his renowned Endymion, | | | | Unfortunately, his health continued to decline and |
| the solitude and the focus suited Keats, complete | | | | the writer that many thought would one day |
| immersion and concentration in his work bringing | | | | emulate Shakespeare died in Rome in February |
| out the very best in him. The trip also had the | | | | 1821. |