Traumatic Reverberations in the Select Works of John Keats

Name of Author : Ambika Gahlot

Abstract: The ambition of this paper is to bring to light the element of trauma as an important aspect in the thematic understanding of John Keats. Keats hails from the second generation of English romantic poetry. Nature is the source of beauty and aesthetic experience for the poet. But beneath this beauty that Keats finds in nature there lies the shards of trauma which glows like embers when approached. Beauty fetches the concept of mortality with it. Suffering and agony played paramount role in his life. Keats died at the age of 25, but within this short span of life, he endured trauma of various types and degrees. His poetry has reverberations of trauma along with the praise of nature. What is particular about his poetry is the echoes of a personal life, speaking about which his tone veers between artistic inclinations and grief. The foregrounding reality of his poetry is based not just on the beauty that he finds in nature, but also on the atrocities he has faced in life. Trauma added new dimension and depth in his works. Thematic understanding of the poet is incomplete without considering the concept of grief and trauma which percolates in his classic odes and poems. This paper will highlight the traumatic reverberations in his select works.

Keywords : John Keats, Trauma, Suffering, Truth, Beauty, Odes

DOI :