A Study Of The Views Of Life And Death In John Keats’ Poems

John Keats lived in an ill-fated and short life,but he created splendid poems that endure forever.His poetic creation has a significant impact on the literary circles for hundreds of years.The analyses of his poems are still unfailing after his death.Nevertheless,few articles have ever probed into the views of life and death in Keats’ poems from philosophical perspective.A tentative analysis of Keats’ views of life and death is made to study Keats’ poems.Furthermore,some of Keats’ ideas such as “boundary view”(Langer 78)and his insecurity of life are discussed by close reading his poems and letters.The thesis analyzes Keats’ positive attitude and negative attitude towards life and death in his works.Taking the example of Keats’ poem To Autumn,this thesis further discusses Keats’ appreciation of life and his peaceful attitude towards death.He neither regretted for the lost time nor worried about the coming death.Instead,He cherished the present moment.Keats conveyed such a transcendental attitude towards life and death in this poem,which gave inspiration to generations after him.Besides,“The Elgin Marbles”,“Ode to a Nightingale”,“Endymion” and other poems have been analyzed through close reading for further illustrating the arguments.As is presented in the thesis,Keats’ fear of death that appeared in his early years originated from his painful life experiences and his career in medicine.Keats’ poems present his complex emotion of life and death.When he is tired of the reality,he expresses his negative attitudes towards life in his poems.When he is in positive attitudes,his poems praise the truth and the beauty in life.In his mature works,Keats conveys the tranquil mood in his poems.Indeed,the thesis attempts to offer a new perspective for the interpretation of the view towards life and death contained in Keats’ poems.The main body of the thesis expands on the miserable life experiences of John Keats.It is regarded as the origin of Keats’ negative attitude towards death and life.After that,by discussing Keats’ detachment from his real life,the thesis elaborates on his gradually mature attitude towards life and his transcendent view of death.Finally,the thesis dilates on Keats’ pursuit towards the beauty and truth in human nature.The poet expresses his praise for human solicitude by creating poems.Poems,as the form of the artwork,spread perpetually in the world.People create artworks to express truth,kindness and beauty in human nature.The artwork spread for generations beyond the limit of individual’s life.The conclusion can be drawn based on the analysis of Keats’ poems.Keats holds both positive and negative attitudes towards life and death.Woven with these two complex attitudes,Keats’ poems resonate so powerfully.Keats view of death in his poems not only conveys his treasure of life but also expresses his reconciliation and tolerance to death.