First published 2012
Walter Jackson Bate examines John Keats's theory of negative capability, the poet's term for the ability to remain in uncertainty and doubt without irritably reaching after fact and reason. Bate traces how this concept shaped Keats's creative process and poetic development. The author analyzes Keats's letters and poems to show how negative capability allowed the poet to embrace ambiguity and mystery rather than forcing resolution. Bate argues that this intuitive approach enabled Keats to capture complex emotional truths that pure logic could not reach. The book demonstrates how negative capability influenced major works like "Ode to a Nightingale" and "The Eve of St. Agnes." Bate connects this philosophical stance to Keats's broader artistic vision and his understanding of beauty and truth. The study offers readers insight into the creative mind of one of England's greatest Romantic poets.
Genres: biography, english-literature, literary-criticism, 20th-century, criticism, 19th-century, art-history, academic
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: intuitive-approach, philosophical-stance
Period: 19th-Century
96 pages · Hardcover · Ams Pr Inc