Life,works and loves of John Keats

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When considering the volume, quality and maturity of his compositions, one could be forgiven for picturing John Keats as a figure of great stature striding across the pages of great English poetry of the romantic period. In truth, he was a sickly figure, barely five feet tall, who died prematurely at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis. His work was not critically acclaimed, nor was he considered among the senior poets during his lifetime. However, his great self-confidence, evident from his letter to his brother George “I think I shall be among the English poets after my death”(October 1818), allied with his supreme talent and sensitivity, resulted, albeit posthumously, in his being included amongst the truly great in his field. This confidence is even more surprising as he wrote the aforementioned letter to inform his brother of some particularly hostile reviews of his work.

Keats was born in London in 1795, the son of a livery stable manager and the eldest of fou...