A Study Of John Keats’s Aesthetic Principles

John Keats, a man with great productivity, did not establish an organic frame ofpoetic theories during his brief lifetime. Therefore, scholars at home and abroad haveinterpreted his aesthetic principles in his poems and works from various perspectives.However, all these studies do not form a systematic framework. This thesis dividesKeats·s aesthetic principles into three aspects: Negative Capability, consciousness ofdeath, and reality and eternity.Chapter One is concerned with the principal term: Negative Capability. Inessence, it does not mean being negative, but means being objective in the process ofaesthetic appreciation in order to integrate into the perception of external objects.Therefore, first of all, the subject should keep appropriate distance from the observedobjects in the process of aesthetic appreciation and respect their uniqueness. Then, bymeans of empathy, the subject will realize his appreciation. Ultimately, being alooffrom personal character, the subject achieves the annihilation of identity. As for Keats,the function of a poet is like a certain chemical, which has no permanent identity andno stable attribute.Chapter Two deals with Keats·s consciousness of death. In Keats·s works, theconnotations of death can be understood on three levels. Firstly, death is viewed asshadow that makes the poet try to escape. Secondly, death is regarded as destinywhich is only a part of natural process. Thirdly, death is considered as immortalitythrough which the spirit transcends the limitations of time and space, and eventually,this interpretation deconstructs the binary opposition between life and death.Chapter Three explores Keats·s concept of reality and eternity. In Keats·s works,the conflict between transience of reality and the eternal beauty of art has never beensettled. But they are connected with each other. Though reality is tough, it is also thespring of poetic inspiration. Without misery in life, the poet would lose motivation ofcreating an ideal world in imagination. Thus it can be seen that Keats·s poetryreflects both the ugliness of reality and beauty of imagination. The three aesthetic principles in Keats·s literary creation share close interrelations,which illustrate his pursuit of art for art·s sake. Negative capability realizes theharmony between nature and human beings, the meditation of death reveals the truemeaning of life; and the conflict between reality and eternity conveys his sincerehumanistic concern. Consequently, Keats·s artistic dedication has transcended theboundary of romanticism, accomplishing the permanent literary value in his works.