A Study Of Keats’ Aesthetic View In The Context Of Greek Mythology

John Keats, a British romantic poet in the1830s, is a pioneer of the aestheticismmovement. He was opposed to the utilitarianism and advocated pure art. He put forwardthe idea of “art for art’s sake”. The theory “Beauty is truth, truth beauty” is the essence ofKeats’ aesthetic thoughts. It is also the concentrated reflection of his returning to realityfrom a pure aesthete and positive romantic. His aesthetic view is reflected by thedescription of mythological images in his poems. It is of great historical significance tothe formation and the development of aestheticism in British literature and even theworld literature.Endymion is one of Keats’ earlier works. It was written around the year1818. In thislong poem, Keats realized the great power of the union of the mythical story andimagination. In Endymion, by describing the mythical love story, Keats expresses praisesof the aesthetic view of love. The implied mystic color and aestheticism also bring outthe best in each other.This thesis mainly makes a whole analysis and research of Keats’ aesthetic view,taking Endymion as an example, from the perspective of aestheticism.This thesis consists of an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. Its maincontents are as follows:The first part is introduction, which firstly makes a simple and brief explanation ofthe purpose of this thesis, Keats’ works and his writing skills, and secondly elucidates thestatus of domestic and foreign research about Keats’ poems, as well as points out thenecessity of the contents in this thesis.The second part is the main body, which is made up of three chapters:Chapter one firstly makes a systematical analysis of the profound influence of Greekmythology on Keats’ aesthetic thought. This influence is mainly reflected in manyaspects, such as providing rich materials and inspiration with Keats’ aesthetic thoughtand giving his poems mythological aesthetic consciousness. Therefore, studying Keats’aesthetic thoughts in the context of Greek mythology have more practical significance.Secondly, this chapter elaborates the characteristics of Keats’ poetry and writing skills,from the aspect of aestheticism. Keats’ aesthetic thought is reflected by his pursuit of“beauty” and “truth”. Especially, his understanding of the relationship between the two promotes the formation and development of his view of nature and love. Finally, thischapter interprets three stages of development of Keats’ aesthetic view. Keats’ returningfrom a pure pursuer for aestheticism to a realist makes his poetry gradually mature.Chapter Two explores more deeply Keats’ aesthetic thought through analysis of themythical images in this poem and his writing skills, taking Endymion as an example.Endymion is one of Keats’ earlier works. After its publication, it was criticized by peoplefrom all walks of life. It was once considered to be a work which does not reflect realitybut seeks only pure beauty. However, from the romantic view of nature and aestheticview of love reflected by the poem itself, Keats, who was influenced by Greekmythology, is not simply a hedonist who only pursues of beauty. From the perspective ofrhyme or terms, this long poem is not optionally written, but written through fineimagination after deliberation. Perceptual imagination and mythological quotation giveshigh literary value to the poem itself.Chapter Three illustrates the influence of Keats’ aesthetic view on himself and otherpoets and writers. For Keats himself, his pursuit of beauty promotes the formation anddevelopment of his romantic view of nature. At the same time, his aesthetic view givessignificant inspiration to those British poets while writing poems during the wholeromantic period. Keats’ growing aesthetic thoughts have a significant influence onBritish poetry and even the world poetry. In chronological order, Keats influenced theVictorian poets, aesthetic poets, and imagists. In China, Keats influenced two famouspoets a lot, Xu Zhimo and Wen Yiduo.The last part is conclusion. This part summarizes the main argument of this thesis,the writing purpose and practical significance.Studying Keats’ aesthetic view in the context of Greek mythology not only haspromoting effect in understanding the themes of his poems and the characteristics of histimes, but also has significant inspiration for us to study poetry of different periods in thehistory of the world literature. Today, as a pioneer of aestheticism movement, the valueof Keats’ aesthetic thoughts still has enlightenment.