Book description
Keats s first volume of poems, published in 1817, demonstrated both
his belief in the consummate power of poetry and his liberal views.
While he was criticized by many for his politics, his immediate circle
of friends and family immediately recognized his genius. In his short
life he proved to be one of the greatest and most original thinkers of
the second generation of Romantic poets, with such poems as Ode to a
Nightingale , On First Looking into Chapman s Homer and La Belle
Dame sans Merci . While his writing is illuminated by his exaltation
of the imagination and abounds with sensuous descriptions of nature s
beauty, it also explores profound philosophical questions.
John Barnard s acclaimed volume contains all the poems known to have
been written by Keats, arranged by date of composition. The texts are
lightly modernized and are complemented by extensive notes, a
comprehensive introduction, an index of classical names, selected
extracts from Keats s letters and a number of pieces not widely
available, including his annotations to Milton s Paradise Lost.
John Keats (1795-1821) is one of the greatest of the Romantic poets.
Beyond his influence on poetry and literature, his body of work
continues to be immensely popular. John Barnard is an authority on the
Romantic period.
