Romantic Visions: Love, Idealism, and Deception in Keats' Poetry (2012)

Undergraduate: David Robson

Faculty Advisor: Jordynn Jack
Department: English

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John Keats is emblematic of the Romantic literary consciousness. His representation of the dissonance between our concepts of the ideal and the actual captures the Spirit of the Age - the essence of which reflects a reaction against the Rationalism of the Enlightenment and a new-found appreciation for the liberty of the individual. Keats' poems explore the nature of reality and man's desire to have his dreams become actualized. He takes up the topic of Love to expound upon these themes - specifically in his poems "Endymion," "Lamia" and "La Belle Dame Sans Merci." In these he draws parallels between lovers in relationships, poets perfecting their craft, and the human struggle to comprehend the supernatural. This paper will examine the aforementioned works, and others, in an attempt to illustrate Keats' relationship to the concepts of Romanticism and how his works and philosophy still resonate today.