The love letters of John Keats

by John Keats

Hardcover

First published July 1, 1995

About the author

Rich melodic works in classical imagery of English poet John Keats include " The Eve of Saint Agnes ," " Ode on a Grecian Urn ," and " To Autumn ," all in 1819.

Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley include "Adonais," an elegy of 1821 to John Keats.

Work of the principal of the Romantic movement of England received constant critical attacks from the periodicals of the day during his short life. He nevertheless posthumously immensely influenced poets, such as Alfred Tennyson. Elaborate word choice and sensual imagery characterize poetry, including a series of odes, masterpieces of Keats among the most popular poems in English literature. Most celebrated letters of Keats expound on his aesthetic theory of "negative capability."

Wikipedia page of the author

Reviews

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm slightly pissed off because goodreads didn't show the 'letters to fanny brawne' only version quick enough and I had to search for it for quite a while until I found it(although the bright star one revealed to me that there is a movie too so maybe it wasn't all that bad).

My only problem(and that's truly and solely only mine) was that Keats signs some of his letters as 'J-K' and it took my millennial lame self a moment to kind of grasp it at first. See, here I read all of his heart pourings, exquisite poetical letters that start with 'my dearest girl' and then I see it signed off as 'jk' as in 'just kidding'? I did figure out a split second later(wow!) that those were his initials but ngl, that texting slang had me for a while.

I have loved John Keats from the time I read excerpts from his letters on random tumblr posts, so basically from the time I didn't even know who the hell this guy was. I had always resolved to find out though and here I am, did it. I claim to know him now.

"You will call this madness. I have heard you say that it was not unpleasant to wait a few years – you have amusements – your mind is away – you have not brooded over one idea as I have, and how should you? You are to me an object intensely desireable – the air I breathe in a room empty
of you is unhealthy. I am not the same to you – no – you can wait – you have a thousand activities – you can be happy without me. Any party, any thing to fill up the day has been enough. How have you pass‘d this month? Who have you smil‘d with? All this may seem savage in me. You do
not feel as I do–you do not know what it is to love – one day you may – your time is not come."

"Ask yourself how many unhappy hours Keats has caused you in Loneliness".

"Do not write to me if you have done anything this month which it would have pained me to have seen. You may have altered – if you have not – if you still behave in dancing rooms and other societies as I have seen you – I do
not want to live – if you have done so I wish this coming night may be my last. I cannot live without you, and not only you but chaste you; virtuous you."

Such passion was real and existed in the nineteenth century! Isn't that crazy?!

"If I should die, said I to myself, ―I have left no immortal work behind me – nothing to make my friends proud of my memory – but I have lov‘d the principle of beauty in all things, and if I had had time I would have made myself remember‘d".

He died at 25, not knowing how popular he was going to be, that he'd be one of the most celebrated english poets. A tap of literary wonder, cut short too early. Fanny remained in mourning for six years after his death. The world, continues to mourn for nearly over two centuries now.