A Study Of John Keats' "Negative Capability"

"Negative Capability", John Keats'central aesthetic concept, draws great attention for its rich connotations on the nature of art and poem creation. Yet in Western literary studies, it has not been highlighted and given adequate explanation. Questions still remain as to the nature of his art of imagination, beauty and the poet's identity as well as how Keats practiced this theory in his artistic creation. This thesis aims to explore the implications of"Negative Capability"through an analysis of his Ode to a Nightingale. The three primary implications of"Negative Capability"(beauty, imagination and negation of the self) will be the focus of the thesis. Meanwhile, this thesis will also discuss how Keats applied this theory to the creation of one of his best known odes, Ode to a Nightingale.The thesis consists of five parts. Since the origination and formation of"Negative Capability"will greatly help the understanding of the nature of this theory, the first part starts with an examination of how Keats gradually adopted the notion of"Negative Capability", together with an exploration of the humanistic, historic and social context that led to Keats'development of this theory. The following chapters will be devoted to a detailed exposition of the three primary implications of"Negative Capability"through the study of his Ode to a Nightingale.As beauty is the key to understanding of Keats'idea of"Negative Capability", Chapter One will deal with the idea of beauty and Keats'lifelong pursuit for eternal beauty. Keats believes"beauty overcomes every other consideration, or rather obliterates all consideration". This chapter will explore Keats'notions of beauty and truth which he claims are closely related and frequently interchangeable. It will also look further into Keats'"intensity", which he believes is a common characteristic of all types of beauty. Chapter Two discusses the exploration of the identity and function of a poet. Different from his contemporaries, Keats demonstrates that a poet has no identity, no self and no unchangeable attributes. Keats believes that greatness in art involves losing the sense of our personal identity by focusing on some object dearer to us than ourselves. A poet is like"certain ethereal Chemicals operating on the Mass of neutral intellect". The poet then becomes art's instrument to speak to the spirit and heart of mankind.One of the factors involved in this loss of self-identity on the part of Keats'man of"Negative Capability"is his"imaginative identification"with and submission to things. Thus Chapter Three will center on the creative power and function of imagination. Imagination serves as the true voice of feeling, that through the imaginative experience all earthly sorrows disappear, truth and beauty were revealed.The last part is the Conclusion. Through an analysis of Keats'letters and poems,we will see the reason for his great success in poetry was that Keats practiced his idea of"Negative Capability"in the pursuit of beauty. Keats'determination to commit himself to truth and beauty greatly encouraged his followers in the nineteenth century. His insistence on the negation of oneself and his technical innovations in poetry remain as an inspiration to all poets today.