No personal library can be complete without at least a sampling of Keats, and this is the book that everyone should get. All the poems -- even the fragments -- are here, with line numbers included. The several appendices and letter excerpts make the collection even more valuable. If you are trying to decide which Keats collection to get, you have found the best.

Jack Stillinger devoted much of his professional life to establishing the definitive texts of Keats's poems. This painstaking work has resulted in a number of changes to the poems. As to the quality of the poetry itself, at his best Keats approaches Shakespeare, as in the Odes. Stillinger is also an excellent teacher; I had his course on Keats 26 years ago, and it was fascinating. While the other reviewers have done a very good job of describing the beauty of Keats's poetry, one point Stillinger made about Keats as a person is worth repeating: Keats was the one English romantic poet that you would want to ask for advice about a personal problem you had. All the rest, Blake, Wordsworth, Shelley (especially!), and Byron would have given you advice that, if followed, would have been wildly impractical. Keats, as shown by his letters, was not pretentious and had a large degree of human decency and common sense. While these characteristics are not one usually associated with romantic poets, I think that they contribute to the strength of his poetry.

...and he rivals Shakespeare as the most perfect lyrical poet, the most exquisite shaper of words. Passages in the Odes (Melancholy is my favorite) are about as good as this language can expect to get, at least from a descriptive and sensual standpoint. Keats doesn't achieve the meditative transcendence of Wordsworth, but he has his own meditations -- usually more modest in scope, but made noble by the perfection of their expression.

It is so amazing that in a career lasting only four years, John Keats established himself as English poet who best embodied the sense and ideas of Romantic poetry. That his short life was cut off at such a young age was a tragedy in the sense of all the unwritten works that could have flowed from his pen, but even so, he achieved his life ambition of being "one of the English poets".
Darkling I Listen is an incredibly moving account of the last days of this most tragic (and most romantic) of poets. From his passionate letters to Fanny Brawne to his last moments under the care of his truest friend Joseph Severn, this story will wring your heart.

This book really is a little jewel -beautifully researched and written and incredibly moving. Keats is vividly portrayed, and , as the previous reviewer noted, Joseph Severn is given his due as the best person Keats could have had with him in his dying days. Severn was a devout Christian, according to Walsh, and his life after Keats' death exemplified the Christian belief that if you give selflessly, you will receive... Just have a box of tissues handy while reading this book...

Love may not kill, but it can certainly give you a smart shove down that road. Walsh's vivid, neatly researched book gives us a new look at the one whose name was writ on water and his curious agonies over the girl he would have married. Keats, impassioned, gifted, doomed, is even so not gilded here; from the surviving materials he is revealed as intense, a bit obsessive, and never more so than concerning Fanny Brawne. This is one of the most famed loves in history, freshly examined with the fairest look to date at Fanny's equally complicated character. Whether they take place in British rooms or Roman, the dramas within are drawn with lively and poignant detail. Special care is taken, too, to give Joseph Severn the full credit due for his constant vigil at Keats' long dying. To me, Severn's character was by far the most appealing, and Walsh's story left me certain that a steady, loving heart is genius of its own kind.

...

Tom Clark's Junkets on a Sad Planet takes its title from Leigh Hunt's nickname for Keats. Pronounced with a Cockney accent, John Keats sounded much like 'Junkets', and so the young poet became known to his early supporter and friend. The publisher terms this a 'poetic novel'; the book is a mixture of brief prose pieces and poems of varying length. All are enjoyable, and many are quite beautiful. For those unfamiliar with Keats's life, there is a rough chronology and brief biographies of his family and friends.

Clark does a wonderful job of charting Keats's evolution as both poet and young man. And though Junkets on a Sad Planet may chronicle a tragic life, it is never depressing. Clark allows Keats to speak to us in the familiar voice of his famous letters, with his warmth, charm, and endless striving intact. The final section, 'Coda: Echo and Variation' is the best evocation of Keats's final days I have read.

If you enjoy this work, I would also recommend Tony Harrison's 1981 poem 'A Kumquat for John Keats' and any collection of Countee Cullen's work which includes his beautiful 'To John Keats, Poet, at Spring Time'.

I like it alot! send it to me please. i will love you forever and ever!!

Helen Vendler has created a scholarly, insightful look at the odes of John Keats. The odes comprise about a dozen pages; Vendler's analysis is nearly 300 pages. She analyzes in thoughtful detail six classic odes of Keats, not in isolation, but by emphasizing their complex interrelationships. She argues that each poem reflects the odes preceding it and shaped the subsequent odes. As she states, "For the poet, the completion of one poem is the stimulus for the next; this is particularly true for poems of the same genre."

Not surprisingly, Vendler assumes that the reader is reasonably familiar with Keats' better known poetry (Hyperion, Endymion, and, of course, the Odes). As Spenser, Milton, and Wordsworth significantly influenced Keats, some familiarity with these poets is helpful. I found that Vendler requires attention and thought, but in return she provides insightful commentary that leads to a deeper appreciation of Keats' poetic genius.

On occasion Vendler's style becomes unnecessarily convoluted. But these instances are rare lapses; her writing is characterized by a clarity that is often absent in modern criticism.

She scrupulously credits ideas originating with others, explicitly identifies points of disagreement and differences in interpretation and in the process introduces the reader to a wide range of Keatsian studies. I gained a greater appreciation for modern literary criticism. I even enjoyed reading Vendler's detailed footnotes.

Helen Vendler" The Odes of John Keats' gives the reader an opportunity to see how the six great odes written in 1819 came to be. She shows how the poems are linked together through words, images, and ideas, starting with the 'Ode to Psyche" and ending with the great ode"To Autumn." Through a close reading of each poem, an examination of each image, and a view of the rhetorical trope, from reduplication to enumeration, which underlies each poem, Vendler provides the reader with a deep understanding of Keats's artistic concerns and meanings.. She demonstrates why Keats' achievement is so extraordinary and provides the critical reader with a method by which s/he may enter into the mind of the poet. For any lover of Keats' poetry, and for any lover of belles lettres, this is a book which belongs in your library.

This is a dynamic work by an unusual and remarkable man whose contributions in other areas have yet to be fully appreciated. An expert writer and master of literary organization, Keats presents a view of an alternative way of life along the St. Lawrence River. You will enjoy being there as he and his family rise to the challenges of living on an island. By the way, John Keats also wrote an expose on the American automobile, (Insolent Chariots, 1958), an expose on our post secondary educational system (The Sheepskin Psychosis), and the food industry (Whatever Happened to Mom's Apple Pie?). These are a MUST READ even today. Sadly, these are not widely available and out of print.
I believe that he passed away recently, but considering the impact of his work it is surprising he lived as long as he has. I am hopeful history will reveal the magnitude of the contribution that Mr. Keats had made to the well-being of the American consumer.
What he wrote in 1950's and 1960's is perhaps more relevant today than it was at the time he wrote it. You are no doubt familiar with Ralph Nader who addressed issues in the auto industry. You will find the life of this author equally fascinating perhaps more so considering that little seems available about the concluding years of his life (death?). This reader does not understand why this author seems to be obscure and certain works unobtainable.

This is one of those books you just can't put down! An amazing record of the life and poeple of the Thousand Islands from the point of view of an Islander themself. The history included in the book is well researched. The authors discriptions of the Islands and the life living there are the best I've read. The authors island and home are still standing just the way he discribed them in the book. This is definitly a must read for any Thousand Islands fan.

Coombs provides an informative and inspiring insight into not only the works of Keats and Shelley but also the Romantic movement as a whole. She strikes a good balance between history, the lives of the authors and a study their works, both major and minor, which serves as a starter for the relatively novice student and as desert for the better nourished reader. This is a must have for any student of the Romantic genre, and it is a great pity that this book is no longer in print.

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In his short life John Keats created some of the finest poetry in the English language. I have read his shorter poems and odes many times, not for study, but simply for enjoyment. I am not a Keats expert, but I can now easily recognize quotations from Keat's odes, sonnets, and other poems. I especially like "The Eve of St. Agnes", a story of romance and danger in a medieval setting that illustrates Keats' remarkable command of language.

Keats is not difficult, but footnotes help with archaic words and references to more obscure Greek mythology. I prefer to read Keats unaided, then read the footnotes (best if tucked away in an appendix), and then return and read the poem again. For longer poems I jump to footnotes more quickly.

Initially, the inexpensive Dover edition "Lyric Poems", was exactly what I needed. Later, as I tackled longer poetry like "Endymion", I migrated to more complete collections with commentary and footnotes.

Keats" works are widely available in hardcover and paperback. Which collection is best for college study or independent reading? I have two favorites, one by Penguin Classics and the other by Modern Library. Both are available in softcovers.

The first is "The Complete Poems" by Penguin Classics, edited by John Bernard and a standard choice for college classes. I have the second edition, 1977. Barnard's extensive footnotes and commentary are quite good and offset his somewhat brief introduction. Additionally, the appendix discusses textual variations in Keats' manuscripts and has a useful guide to Greek mythology names. The third edition, 1988, adds 20 pages of selected letters, Keats' notes on Milton's Paradise Lost, and his notes on a Shakespearean actor.

The second choice (my favorite) is the newly published "Complete Poems and Selected Letters of John Keats", Modern Library 2001 edition (not the earlier 1994 hardcover version). Apparently as a direct challenge to Penguin Classics, this edition offers a longer introduction (22 pages) by Edward Hirsch and excellent footnotes (not too many, nor too few) by John Pollock. Also, as the title implies, it has selected letters by Keats, some 25 pages in total. Somewhat hidden in the appendix is commentary by six well-known literary critics such as T. S. Eliot, Mathew Arnold, and Keats' biographer Walter Jackson Bate. Lastly, the font is larger and more crisp in the Modern Library version (but is still quite acceptable in the Penguin edition).

Overall, I prefer Hirsch to Barnard, but both are good choices. Both are 5-stars.

This has every single one of Keats works, unabridged. If you are a Keats freak, this is a must have book. I only wish I still had my copy, purchased almost 30 years ago and loaned to a so-called friend.

Jessica Kruczynski English 385.04 Dr. Michelle H. Martin March 29, 2000

Keats, Ezra. John Henry: An American Legend. Toronto, Canada: Random House, Inc, 1965.

John Henry, written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, tells the story of a fictitious American legend. Through the powerful illustrations, Keats portrays John Henry as a heroic man with much importance in society. Keats uses bold colors throughout the story, which help stimulate the reader's emotions. John Henry's importance is first revealed in the opening of the story. Unusual, marbalized paper illustrations accompany the words that tell of the night noises welcoming John Henry into the world. Even as a newborn child, he is the focus of the story, taking up an entire page in the book. When John Henry realizes his own strength, he makes the decision to leave his family and go out into the world. The illustration during this part of the story shows that a change is because of the bright colors and the image of waves rolling into the next page. When a storm strikes, John Henry's first act of bravery comes into play. Black and grey colors give a feeling that things are not quite right. The storm nearly causes a ship to sink, but John Henry is able to gain respect and admiration from others by bringing their ship to safety. John Henry, who was born with a hammer in his hand, feels called to go help build railroads. The illustration of him helping with the railroad tracks is much different thtn the other illustrations because John Henry is not the center of attention. Perhaps the reason for this is because helping build the railroad with a hammer in his hand is where John Henry belongs. Henry's next opportunity to be the hero occurrs when a lit fuse burns closely to dynamite in a cave, causing a very dangerous situation. Trying to put out the fuse, John Henry first trips and falls, but recovers by putting out the flame with his hammer. In this illustration, the hammer takes up and entire page! This shows that the hammer and John Henry are of equal importance; without his hammer, he is only an ordianry man. After proving himself to be a hero, John Henry develops a feeling of much confidence in himself. When told about an extremely powerful steam drill, John Henry states that he is more powerful and can drill more holes faster than six men combined. The illustrations of Henry's "race" with the machine are very effective in portraying motion. The hammer appears to be moving so fast that it becomes almost a blur. The pictures show how tired John Henry is becoming, and eventhough the steam drill is ahead of him at one point, he continues to work harder and faster. With much determination, John Henry picks up another hammer so that he can get twice as much done. In this illustration, John Henry and the two hammers take up two pages. Keats uses a bright orange color to offset Henry and the hammers. The bright color gives a feeling of excitement and makes the reader feel confident that John Henry can beat the steam machine. Througout John Henry's battle with the machine, people watch with admiration. John Henry continued to hammer, even after the steam machine collapsed. His goal was to break through the tunnel and when light began to shine through, everyone saw that his goal was reached. With hard work and determination, John Henry once again proved himself to be a hero. He died while walking out of the tunnel, carrying not one, but two hammers.

My 3 kids request I read this book every night. Its good enough that I don't MIND.

Guess which is one of the books I'm using for Black History Month this year?