John Keats is regarded as one of the greatest English poets, yet he died penniless in Rome in 1821, aged just 25. Few of his possessions were preserved and it wasn’t until 100 years later that his former home was saved from demolition and opened as a museum. Friends had kept some original manuscripts, letters and books, including Keats’s copy of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, which is the focus of this exhibition.
Keats was passionate about Milton’s writing. He read Paradise Lost, which was published in 1667, over and over again, underlining passages and writing notes in the margins. Paradise Lost is an epic poem that charts the origins of human mortality and free will, and Keats’s annotations are a fascinating record of how one poet read and responded to another, while drawing inspiration for their own verses.
Keats underlined many descriptions of sounds, tastes and smells – pleasant and unpleasant. Contrasting images were also such a big draw for him that in a marginal note he wrote: “The light and shade, the sort of black brightness … the thousand Melancholies and Magnificences of this page leaves no room for anything to be said thereon …”
The notes reveal Keats was particularly drawn to pathos and images of suffering and loss, themes that echo in his own writing. His short life was shaped by tragedy: while reading Paradise Lost in 1818, Keats was nursing his younger brother who was dying of consumption.
Through reading Milton, Keats became a more disciplined writer, conscious of how every word could deliver meaning and richness. While he failed to write his own epic – his two Hyperion poems remained unfinished – his later odes and lyrical poems show a craftsmanship inspired by Milton’s verse.
Sofie Davis is the interpretation officer at Keats House, London. Keats and Milton: Paradise Lost runs until 14 October
Keats was passionate about Milton’s writing. He read Paradise Lost, which was published in 1667, over and over again, underlining passages and writing notes in the margins. Paradise Lost is an epic poem that charts the origins of human mortality and free will, and Keats’s annotations are a fascinating record of how one poet read and responded to another, while drawing inspiration for their own verses.
Keats underlined many descriptions of sounds, tastes and smells – pleasant and unpleasant. Contrasting images were also such a big draw for him that in a marginal note he wrote: “The light and shade, the sort of black brightness … the thousand Melancholies and Magnificences of this page leaves no room for anything to be said thereon …”
The notes reveal Keats was particularly drawn to pathos and images of suffering and loss, themes that echo in his own writing. His short life was shaped by tragedy: while reading Paradise Lost in 1818, Keats was nursing his younger brother who was dying of consumption.
Through reading Milton, Keats became a more disciplined writer, conscious of how every word could deliver meaning and richness. While he failed to write his own epic – his two Hyperion poems remained unfinished – his later odes and lyrical poems show a craftsmanship inspired by Milton’s verse.
Sofie Davis is the interpretation officer at Keats House, London. Keats and Milton: Paradise Lost runs until 14 October
