The Embodiment Of Negative Ability In

Although John Keats (1795-1821) only lived for26years, as a poet, he ismagnificent. His Odes are classic both on language and images in English poetry andwill be handed on from age to age. In the aesthetic theory, Keats has few theses ofspecific discussions on theory and his theory of poetry are scattered in his letters tohis families, friends and publishers. The key to the theory of poetry in Keats’ letterslies on the great effects of imagination and the intensity, based on which NegativeCapability is raised and attracts attentions from many latter critics.“NegativeCapability, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts.without and irritable reaching after fact&reason.”(Keats2007:13) In the compositionsof both his odes and narrative poems which are perfect practice of this theory, Keatsexerts great efforts to describe the theme of beauty.This thesis is composed in four parts. The first part introduces theconcept and gives a discussion a typical misunderstanding on Negative Capability,which is “negative and positive”. And this part makes an anatomy of NegativeCapability and points out the three components of Negative Capability: first, the goalof Negative Capability is “truth and beauty”; second, the effect of Negative Capabilityis “intensity”; last, the attitude of Negative Capability is “Disinterestedness”. Thesecond part, in the three themes of “wake or sleep”,“two Worlds”, and “truth andbeauty”, discusses the expression of Negative Capability in Keats’s odes. In thecontradiction of “the reality world and the dream world” and “truth and beauty”,Keats finds a way to achieve a better poetic technique with a developing theory andhis composition of odes are being bettered. The third part discusses the “intensity”.Keats claims that intensity can make all disagreeables evaporate. Because of theperfect presentation of intensity, To Autumn becomes the top composition of Keats’sworks with Negative Capability. The fourth part concerns about the attitude ofcomposition. Keats deems that Shakespeare who possesses perfect NegativeCapability succeeds in King Lear because of his disinterestedness and “no character”.Keats’s gradual transition to “no character” is a complete expression of disinterestedness.Finally, we draw a conclusion after the analysis that the two levels ofNegative Capability in Keats’s odes present the development of Negative Capabilityand the maturing of Keats’s poetic technique. Negative Capable is the mostimportant item in Keats’s poetry theory, and what’s more, it gives an eternal beautyappreciation of Keats’s odes.