I want to get into Keats, because he keeps getting referenced in other fiction that I love.
Anyone have recommendations for where to start, and also what to pay attention to?
Start with the poems of manageable size, and take the time to read them aloud, and appreciate how they feel in your mouth, as well as how they sound. There’s something so luxurious about parts of “To Autumn,” for instance. And it helps you notice the ways he plays with variations on the meter, which is much harder to perceive reading in your head.
i think you can either just dive in or find a guide from a compendium of poets that includes keats.
the best poems of the english language by harold bloom has a nice but short section on keats, for example. it includes a short biography by bloom and about a dozen of keats’ poems. and bloom is a joy for me as a guide through english literature.
Ah, that sounds like an excellent idea, thanks!
Sounds maybe a little like George Saunders’ book A Swim In A Pond In The Rain, which does a similar thing for Russian short stories, and is a beautiful read, 'cause you can feel his love for the form.
La belle dame sans merci hath thee in thrall!
