When one thinks about Regency England, a writer comes immediately to one’s mind: Jane Austen, whose novels describe the life of country gentlefolk during that period. And yet, the growing, educated, middle-classes started to dwell in London suburbs and develop a new way of life. Among them, John Keats and his circle of friends wrote breakthrough poetry, which disturbed Britain’s establishment. Considering Keats’s aesthetic of … Continue reading Keats, a Regency poet
Composed after a walk in the countryside, Keats’s ode ‘To Autumn’ is regarded as “one of the most nearly perfect poems in English”. How did John Keats reach such a stylistic achievement in writing on a quite banal subject—Nature’s bounties in Autumn? Autumn has always been my favourite season for its display of Nature’s splendours, especially the rich palette of colours offered by the trees … Continue reading Essay on ‘To Autumn’
To what extent is a knowledge of mediaeval literature relevant to “modern” literature (from the 19th century onwards) or else to our “modern” civilisation? The revival of interest in mediaeval history and art started in the mid-18th century and widely spread throughout Europe, together with the national sentiments which began to flourish in each country: politicians were seeking in the past some glorious symbols to … Continue reading Mediaeval literature in today’s world
The eternal student - anglophile version 