DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT IN JOHN KEATS’ SERIES OF ODES

InternationalJournalofLinguistics andLiterature(IJLL)

ISSN(P):2319-3956;ISSN(E):2319-3964

Vol.11,Issue2,Jul

©IASET

Dec2022;23

26

DEVELOPMENTOFTHOUGHTINJOHNKEATS’SERIESOFODES

MallikaSingh

ComparativeIndianLiteratureScholar,DepartmentofModernIndianLanguagesandLiterary Studies,UniversityofDelhi,India

ABSTRACT

MuchhasbeenresearchedandwrittenononeofthemostrenownedRomanticpoets,JohnKeats’individualodesinhis seriesofsixodes.Itisalsosignificanttodwellonthegradualdevelopmentinthethoughtprocessofthepoetwhichis evidentasonejourneyschronologicallyalongtheodes.ThepaperpostulatesthatJohnKeatshasmaturedintermsof calmlyacceptingthingsastheyare,inastateofconfusionanduncertainty,bythetimehewritesthelastinthisseries ‘OdetoAutumn’Fromthesubjectivepoetpersonawhochasesafteranswers,heevolvesasanobjectivebeingadmiring thebeautyofstateofthings.Hisdeepsenseofindividualityisdiscernibleinhispreviousodes,whereas,towardsthelast ones,hehashappilynegatedhimself,quitelikemanyothergreatliteraryfiguresofthelikesofWilliamShakespeareFrom astateoffluxarisestranquility.Haditnotbeenforthetestingtimesandarestlessquestfortruth,peacewouldneverhave percheduponthepoet.Theodesmustbestudiedfortheirownsakebutonecanalsodrawabiggerlessonforlivinglife fromthoseBeginningfromanurgetoescape,thepoetgraduallysucceedsinbravingandgracefullylivingwith absurdities.Thepaperdiscussestheseodesasacohesivewhole,underliningthedevelopmentofthoughtwitheachofthe seriesofodes.Thisseriesofodesisexemplaryofprogressioninone’sthoughtsandismoreenrichingwhenreadasa completeorganicwhole,ratherthanbeingreadasindividualunits.

KEYWORDS:Escape,Evolution,Calm,Development,Flux,Pain,Truth

ArticleHistory

Received:15Oct2022|Revised:15Oct2022|Accepted:17Nov2022

INTRODUCTION

Inthespringmonthsof1819,afterthecompletionofTheEveofSt.Agnes,Keatswaschieflyengagedinthecomposition oftheuniqueodeswhichhavenoparallelandareaclassbythemselves.JohnKeatscomposedsixodes,whichareamong hismostfamousandwell-regardedpoems.Keatswrotethefirstfivepoems,"OdeonaGrecianUrn","OdeonIndolence", "OdeonMelancholy","OdetoaNightingale",and"OdetoPsyche"inquicksuccessionduringthespring,andhe composed"ToAutumn"inSeptember.RobertBridgespraisingtheodessays,“HadKeatsleftusonlyhisodes,hisrank amongthepoetswouldnotbelowerthanitis,fortheyhavestoodapartinliterature.Theseodesaremarkedbya ‘logicalevolutionofthought.’Theyarewritteninanintensestrainbutaremeditativeandbrooding.Hecomposedsix immortalodes.‘OdetoaNightingale’and‘OdeonMelancholy’arebasedonhisownmoods,‘OdeonaGrecianUrn’ and‘OdetoPsyche’areinspiredbyancientGreeksculptureandmythologyand‘OdeonIndolence’isbasedonamood oflethargyandlanguor.Followedbythesespringodes,‘OdetoAutumn’composedinSeptember1819,isbelievedto bethemostperfectinexecution.

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Aremarkabledevelopmentofthepoet’sthoughtisevidentintheseodes.Initiallythereisanexhibitionoftruth andpain,leadingtoquestionsandfindingmeanstoescape.Itisfollowedbyacalmacceptanceoftruthandpain,and consequentlycomestherealizationofthevariouscontradictoryfluxesoflife.Finally,thepoetcombatstheworldofharsh realities,celebratingsymbolsofnegativity.Helooksatsymbolsofmortalityassymbolsofbeautyandbeautyforhim becomesasymbolofpermanence,asourceofsolaceandpleasure.Itisthisthreefolddevelopmentthatlendsimmortality totheseodesandthatcarvesaspecialnichefortheseodesinthehistoryofEnglishLiterature.

SomeofthemostanalysedinEnglishliterature,theseodesarerepletewithsensualimagery,adistinctivefeatureofthe RomanticPoetry.KeatswasoneofthemainfiguresofthesecondgenerationofEnglishRomanticpoetsalongwithLord ByronandPercyByssheShelley,despitehisworkhavingbeeninpublicationforonlyfouryearsbeforehisdeath. Althoughhispoemswerenotgenerallywellreceivedbycriticsduringhislifetime,hisreputationgrewafterhisdeath,and bytheendofthe19thcentury,hehadbecomeoneofthemostbelovedofallEnglishpoets.Notonlythat,hehada significantinfluenceonadiverserangeofpoetsandwriters.

OfthegreatRomanticpoets,Keats’lifewastheshortestandyethehadthekeenestsenseofhimselfasa developingartist.Allhisgreatestworkswereaccomplishedwithintheincrediblybriefspanofoneyear-betweenhis23rd and24thbirthdays.HelenVendler,aleadingcritic,considersdevelopmentratherthanachievementtobethehallmarkof Keats’annusmirabilis.Eachoftheodes,shecontends,shouldbereadasapartofalargerstructure,culminatinginKeats’ masterpiece‘OdetoAutumn.’

In‘OdetoNightingale’and‘OdeonaGrecianUrn’whichJohnKeatsattemptstowritefirst,truthandpain becomepredominantfeatures.Hequestionsandfindsmeanstoescape.TheNightingaleodeisextremelysubjective.The tendencytolapseawayintoakindofswoon,theimpulsetogiveupthebattlebyseekingobliviondominatestheopening, “Myheartaches,andadrowsynumbnesspains.”Thispainfullethargyisnotcausedbyjealousyofthenightingale’s happinessbutbyanexcessivedelightinthebird’ssongofapproachingsummer.Helongsforwine,expressingadesirefor oblivion,ayearningto“fadeawayintotheforestdim.”Hewishestoforgetthe“weariness,thefeverandthefretofhuman existence.”Hesurgesaheadinhisflighttotheworldofnightingaleandreachestherethennotwiththehelpofwine,but withpoeticimaginationinstead.Thefinallinesofthepoem“Wasitavision,orawakingdream?/Fledisthatmusic,DoI wakeorsleep?”pointouttohisdeliberateambiguity.Thereasonisthatheisstrivingtowardsasatisfyingconceptionof permanence.Theodeisaboutoneofthefundamentalconcernsofnatureofhumanexistence.Keatssetsupthenightingale asasymbolofpermanenceandimmortality

Similarly,in‘OdeonaGrecianUrn,’Keatsestablishestheurn,addressedas‘ColdPastoral,’asasymbolof permanence.Hebringstotheforethefactthatthough“Whenoldagethisgenerationwaste,”itwillbereplacedbyanother generationofsufferinghumanbeings,theurn“shallremainmidstofotherwoe”andwillcontinuetoexistasan unchangingthingofbeautyinthemidstofchangingwoesofrisingandpassinggenerations.Theurnhasbeenprojectedas “unravishedbrideofquietness”and“fosterchildofsilenceandslowtime”asthesemetaphorshavetheeffectofstressing thecalm,non-humanpurityanddetachmentoftheurn.Therearesubsequentsuggestionsoftheurn’sremotenessfrom whatthepoetregardsasimpure,unrewarding,anddistressinginthehumanlot.Buttheurndespiteitsbeautyisnonhuman.Thisworkofartmaybeexquisitelybeautifulandsatisfyingaslifecanrarely,ifeverbe,butlife,despiteitswoes, hasitswarmththatcreepsintopoet’scontemplationofthemarblefigures.Thelastlines“Beautyistruth,truthbeauty,that isallyeknowonEarth,andallyeneedtoknow”aresignificantinthesensethatmomentarily,thepoetcanacceptthe

ImpactFactor(JCC):7.4987

NAASRating2.67

proposition-anaturaldevelopmentofhisearlieraphorisms-thatbeautyisanimageoftruthandthereforeiflifeisseenasa whole,thedisagreeableswillevaporateastheydoinagreatworkofart.Thepoemisobjectiveandneutralandunlike ‘OdetoaNightingale’hasnoelementofuncertainty.

In‘OdetoPsyche,’themythofPsycheprovidesthepoetwithaframeworktoworkoutthesubstanceofpoetryas hewouldlikeittobe.HenostalgicallyrememberstheHellenicdayswhenthesubjectofpoetrywasthemysteryofand explorationofhumannature.ThatismissingnowandhepromisestoPsychetocreatepoetrywhichwillcelebratehuman loveindistinguishablefromNature.PsycheistheGreekwordfor‘soul,’sothelovestoryofCupidandPsycheisalsoan allegoricalaccountofhowthehumansoulachievedimmortality.Thesoulisdiscoveredbylove,suffersbecauseofitsown disobedience,andiseventuallyreunitedwithloveandgiveneternallife.Psychealsomeansabutterfly,sorepresentsthe lightnessofthesoulasitrisesfromthebodyafterdeath.Poeticimaginationfailshimin‘OdetoaNightingale’butin‘Ode toPsyche,’itcrownshimwithsuccessbecausehehimselfbecomescreatoroftempleforPsycheinsomeuntroddenplace. Thereafter,thepoetcalmlyacceptsallhehasquestionedearlier.Thereispeaceandcalmandmostsignificantly herealizesthevariouscontraryfluxesofhumanlife-thecoexistenceofpainandjoy,beauty,andugliness.In‘Odeon Indolence’thepoetfeels“Painheednosting,andpleasure’swreathnoflower”.Throughthepassageoftheearlierodes,he hasgainedalevelofmaturityandisinastateoftranquility.Thereisamarkeddevelopmentinhisthought,somuchso, thatheletsgooflove,ambition,andpoetryallalike.Heemphasizestowardstheendoftheode“VanishyePhantoms! Frommyidlespright.”

‘OdeonMelancholy’similarlydepictsadvancementinthethoughtofthepoet.Thepoemopenswithanurgent, emphaticcommandnottoseekoblivionorresorttopoisonlikein‘OdetoaNightingale,’andnottoindulgeinthoughtsof deathashappensin‘OdeonaGrecianUrn’inwhichheaddressestheurn.Keatsinthisodedoesnotdirectlyaddress Melancholy,rathermakesapleatoanunnamedlistener.Thisodeprovidesaninsightintothecomplexitiesworkingand resolvinginthemindofthepoet.Keatsstatesinthefinalparadoxinthisodethatonlythemanwhoiscapableof experiencingintensehappiness,theman“whosestrenuoustonguecanburstjoy’sgrapeagainsthispalatefine”can actuallyseeMelancholyand“beamonghercloudytrophieshung”.Closelylinkedasitistothe‘OdetoaNightingale’and ‘OdeonaGrecianUrn’thisodediffersfromeachoftheothertwointone.ItislesspersonalthantheNightingaleodeand moredidacticthan‘OdeonaGrecianUrn.’The‘I’personathatissoprominentintheNightingaleOdegoescompletely missinghere,makingthisodetotallyobjective.RobinMayhoodinhisbook‘JohnKeats’(1967)commentsthat‘Odeon Melancholy’representsatriumphofcharacterandintelligence.

Finally,JohnKeatshasevolvedtocelebratethesymbolsofnegativity.Helooksatsymbolsofmortalityas symbolsofbeauty.Beautybecomesasymbolofpermanence.‘OdetoAutumn’becomesKeats’supremetriumphinthe handlingofpoeticresources.Thisodegoesfartherthantheotherodes.Hereimpermanenceisacceptedwithouttheleast traceofsadness,sinceKeatsisabletoseeitaspartofalargerandricherpermanence.Inthefinalstanza,theremembered soundsofspringsaredismissedinfavourofthedistinctivemusicofautumn.Thepastisthusrecalledbutregretsfor departedSpringaredismissedasmerelyvain,asautumnhasitsownmusic.“Wherearethesongsofspring?Aye,where arethey?/Thinknotofthem,thouhastthymusictoo.”

Thisodeisaculminationofallthepreviousodes.HelenVendler’sreadingof‘OdetoAutumn’isbaseduponher convictionthatthepreviousodesallleaduptoit.Sheaffirmsthatatlastin‘Autumn’Keatsfindsafigureandaseason personifyingchange.Bycorrectly“stationing”thesights,sounds,smells,andtastesofthenaturalscene,hefinallydoes

whatheknewcouldbedonein‘Melancholy’-hespeaksoftruthinthelanguageofsensationandbeauty.

Throughthetrajectoryoftheseodes,Keatsachievedwhathehimselftermedasnegativecapability,anddescribed asawriter'sability,“whichShakespearepossessedsoenormously”toaccept“uncertainties,mysteries,doubts,withoutany irritablereachingafterfactandreason.”Itistheobjectivecapacityofthegreatestwriterstonegatethemselves,inorderto pursueavisionofartisticbeautyevenwhenitleadsthemintointellectualconfusionanduncertainty,asopposedtoa preferenceforphilosophicalcertaintyoverartisticbeauty.Downercorrectlypointsout“Intheodes,heisathisbest,and theywillliveaslongasEnglishpoetryisread.”

REFERENCES

1.Bridges,Robert.JohnKeats:ACriticalEssay.LiteraryLicensing,LLC,2014.

2.Downer,A.JohnKeat’sFancy.OctagonBooks,1965.

3.Keats,John.JohnKeats:TheCompletePoems.ModernLibrary,1994.

4.Mayhead,Robin.JohnKeats.CambridgeUniversityPress,1967.

5.Vendler,Helen.TheOdesofJohnKeats.BelknapPress,1985.

ImpactFactor(JCC):7.4987

NAASRating2.67