Miranda wrote:How dose Mr. Keats fit into the ideals (zeitgeist) of the romantic era?
and
How has Mr. Keats influenced our society/ culture/ ideals of today?
Its for a college paper
Thanks a ton
Well, it might have been better if you had asked us earlier as this is probably too late for you now sorry. They are big questions and I cannot answer them in full. But- how he fits into the ideals of the Romantic era- have you read his love letters and his poems such as Endymion ( which discusses ideals of human love versus immortal love)? You would also need to compare his poems to those of Shelley and Byron ( which I confess I am not that familiar with). Bright Star is a good example of his love poetry.
The second one- you ought to look at how he inspired the Pre Raphaelite artists- they painted some of his poems.It was they who brought him to the fore as he was largely unknown til then. He was also liked by Oscar Wilde. I don't know if he influences people in a big way today- as poetry isn't that popular outside university settings sadly.You might want to read Jane Campion's response to his poetry- she sees him as " a portal into the human heart." His philosphies such as Negative Capability are timeless and relevant to today. I think he was very much of his time, yet brought something timeless into th world- love, spirituality, questioning the nature of the soul etc.