The Writing Of The East Based On The Western Thinking Mode

The Romantic Age is the heyday of English poetry. At the same time, it is also thetime when the British Empire expanded her territory, set up the colonies, and becamethe lord of the world. As an indispensable part of the expansion—the East, which isdistant and expansive, appears in many poems. John Keats is one of the major poets inthe Romantic Age, and his poems have always been in the central position ofRomantic study for ages. However, few scholars, either overseas or domestic, haveconducted a research into the oriental elements, or his writing of the East in his longnarrative poems. After reading and re-reading his poems, as well as his biography andletters, I find out there are writings about the East, or lines which reveal Keats’reflection on the East. However, compared with other Romantic poets, like Byron,Shelley and Coleridge, the writing of the East in Keats’ poems is not that evident anddirect. As a result, this thesis is trying to investigate the writing of the East in his threenarrative poems, namely Endymion, Lamia and The Eve of St. Agnes, and reveal thefactors and materials which contribute to this writing, and the implied meaning of it.The thesis is composed of six parts, including introduction, four chapters andconclusion. The introduction includes a literature review of the three poemsrespectively, as well as the argument, research methods and the significance of thisstudy. Chapter One is the analysis of the Oriental figures in the three poems, whichare the tempting maidens, the emasculated lecher, and the mysterious Persian mutes.Both the Indian maid in Endymion and the Beauty Snake in Lamia are enchanting,whether their appearance or voice. Porphyro, the Romeo-type figure in The Eve of St.Agnes, shows his indecent aspect. Besides, the Persian mutes in Lamia are full ofmystery. Chapter Two studies Keats’ the Oriental scenes in these poems, such as thefeast, and the interior decoration. Chapter Three explains the factors which promotedKeats’writing of the East, including the social, cultural and individual ones. Moreover,this part explores the sources of Keats’ materials about the East. Chapter Fourdiscusses the implied meaning of this writing, and exposes the pattern of his thinkingcharacterized by the binary oppositions, his rational rejection of the East and hisemotional attachment to the East.In conclusion, I point out that the East is suitable to Keats’ poetic concepts to some extent, especially his pursuit of beauty and his expansion of imagination.However, due to the time background and Western traditional values, Keats’ writingof the East also reveals Keats’ rational thinking pattern—the binary oppositionbetween the East and the West.