金涛 lecture 9 John Keats.pptVIP

Lecture 9Romantic Poet John Keats (1795-1821) outline Biographical information about John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn Writing background Rhyme and meter “plot” Themes the Great Year The period from September 1818 to September 1819 is often referred to among scholars of John Keats as the Great Year, or the Living Year, because during this period he was most productive, writing his most critically acclaimed works. the Great Year The famous odes he produced during the spring and summer of this year include: Ode to Psyche（赛奇颂）, Ode on a Grecian Urn （希腊古瓮颂）, Ode to a Nightingale （夜莺颂）, Ode on Melancholy （忧郁颂）, and To Autumn （秋颂）. He also wrote the ballad “La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad” (French: “the beautiful lady without pity” 狠心的女郎). the Great Year Several major events have been noted as factors in this increased productivity: namely, the death of his brother Tom, the critical reviews of Endymion（恩底弥翁）, and his meeting Fanny Brawne. Ode on a Grecian Urn Ode The “ode” was a classical form made popular by the ancient poets Pindar(品达) and Horace（贺拉斯）, but the Romantics changed and adapted it for their own uses. An ode is usually addressed to something specific but the poet uses this occasion to express his or her feelings, thoughts and mood. The odes of Keats are addressed to a “Grecian Urn” or “Nightingale”, and Shelley’s to a “Sky Lark” or “West Wind”. Ode In “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, Keats attempts to read the urn as a text, asking questions of all art as he does so. He struggles to work out what the urn is telling him, what is its message, or the moral of its tale. Ode He questions whether art can transcend time and be relevant beyond its original moment of reception. Is the urn symbolic of art? Can it fix a perfect moment on time and make it last for ever? Clearly, these questions are relevant to all art, including Keats’ poem itself. Ode In Shelley’s ode, “To a Skylark”, the poet wishes that he could sing as the bird does, but recognize that, like