内容简介
'IthinkIshallbeamongtheEnglishPoetsaftermydeath,'JohnKeatssoberlyprophesiedin1818ashestartedwritingtheblankverseepicHyperion.TodayheenduresasthearchetypalRomanticgeniuswhoexploredthelimitsoftheimaginationandcelebratedthepleasuresofthesensesbutsufferedatragicearlydeath.EdmundWilsoncountedhimas'oneofthehalfdozengreatestEnglishwriters,'andT.S.EliothaspaidtributetotheShakespeareanqualityofKeats'sgreatness.Indeed,hisworkhassurvivedbetterthanthatofanyofhiscontemporariesthedevaluationofRomanticpoetrythatbeganearlyinthiscentury.ThisModernLibraryeditioncontainsallofKeats'smagnificentverse:'Lamia,''Isabella,'and'TheEveofSt.Agnes';hissonnetsandodes;theallegoricalromanceEndymion;andthefive-actpoetictragedyOthotheGreat.Presentedaswellarethefamousposthumousandfugitivepoems,includingthefragmentary'TheEveofSaintMark'andthegreat'LaBelleDamesansMerci,'perhapsthemostdistinguishedliteraryballadinthelanguage.'NooneelseinEnglishpoetry,saveShakespeare,hasinexpressionquitethefascinatingfelicityofKeats,hisperceptionofloveliness,'saidMatthewArnold.'Inthefacultyofnaturalisticinterpretation,inwhatwecallnaturalmagic,herankswithShakespeare.',
作者简介
JohnKeatswasborninLondoninlivingquartersconnectedwithhismaternalgrandfather'sliverystable,theSwanandHoopInn,onOctober31,1795.Hewastheeldestoffivechildren(oneofwhomdiedininfancy)begotbyThomasandFrancesJenningsKeats.HisfatherwasthechiefhostlerattheSwanandHoop,andthefamilyprospered.TheboywaseightyearsoldwhenThomasKeatswaskilledinaridingaccident;thenextyear,in1805,Keats'sgrandfatherdied.Whenthefuturepoetwasfourteen,hismother(afteranunsuccessfulremarriage)succumbedtotuberculosis.Bythen,however,KeatshadreceivedaliberaleducationattheprogressiveClarkeschool,aprivateacademyinthevillageofEnfield,twelvemilesnorthofLondon,whereforeightyearshestudiedEnglishliterature,modernlanguages,andLatin.(HebegantranslatingVirgil'sAeneidwhilestillatshcool.)CharlesCowdenClarke,theheadmaster'sson,rememberedhimasanoutgoingyouthwhomadefriendseasilyandfoughtpassionatelyintheirdefense.Afellowstudentrecalledhispugnaciousspirit:'Keatswasnotinchildhoodattachedtobooks.Hispenchantwasforfighting.Hewouldfightanyone.'YetGeorgeKeatsspokeofhisbrother's'nervous,morbidtemperament'(perhapsattributabletoacomplexaboutbeingshort—'poorlittleJohnnyKeats'wasbarelyfivefeettall)andofhishaving'manyabitterfitofhypochondriasm.'IndeedKeatshimselfwrote:'Mymindhasbeenthemostdiscontentedandrestlessonethateverwasputintoabodytoosmallforit.'In1811KeatslefttheClarkeschooltobecomeasurgeon'sapprentice—firstatThomasHammond'sapothecaryshopinasmalltownnearEnfieldandlaterinLondonatGuy'sHospital.(SurgerywouldhavebeenarespectableandreasonablecallingforsomeoneofKeats'smeans:unliketheprofessionofmedicine,itdidnotrequireauniversitydegree.Moreover,Keatsalwaysmaintainedhewas'ambitiousofdoingtheworldsomegood.')Duringhisfiveyearsofstudyforalicense,theyoungapprenticecompletedhistranslationoftheAeneidand'devouredratherthanread'Ovid'sMetamorphoses,Milton'sParadiseLost,andotherbooksheborrowedfromtheClarkeschool.Buttheworkthatdecisivelyawakenedhisloveofpoetry—indeedshockedhimsuddenlyintoself-awarenessofhisownpowersofimagination—wasEdmundSpenser'sFaerieQueene.Atsomepointin1814Keatscomposedhisfirstpoem,'InImitationofSpenser.'Althoughhestruckmedicalcolleaguesasan'idleloafingfellow,alwayswritingpoetry,'Keatspassedtheapothecaries'examinationthatallowedhimtopracticesurgeryonJuly25,1816.Inthemeantime,hispoeticgeniuswasbeingrecognizedandencouragedbyearlyfriendslikeCharlesCowdenClarkeandJ.H.Reynolds,andinOctober1816ClarkeintroducedhimtoLeighHunt,whoseExaminer,theleadingliberalmagazineoftheday,hadrecentlypublishedKeats'ssonnet'OSolitude.'Fivemonthslater,onMarch3,1817,Poems,hisfirstvolumeofverse,appeared.DespitethehighhopesoftheHuntcircle,itwasafailure.Duringthefallofthatyear,KeatsstayedwithOxfordstudentBenjaminBaileyatMagdalenCollege.WhileBaileycrammedforexams,KeatsworkedonEndymion,hisfour-thousand-lineromanticallegory;thetworeadanddiscussedWordsworth,Hazlitt,Milton,Dante,andShakespeare.BackinLondon,onNovember22,1817,KeatswrotetoBaileythefirstofhisfamousletterstofriends(andsiblings)onaesthetics,thesocialroleofpoetry,andhisownsenseofpoeticmission.Rarelyhasapoetleftsucharemarkablerecordofhisthoughtsonhisowncareeranditsrelationtothehistoryofpoetry.(ThelettersalsorevealtheastonishingspeedwithwhichKeatsmaturedasanartist.)YetbythetimeEndymionwaspublishedinApril1818,Keats'snamehadbeenidentifiedwithHunt's'CockneySchool,'andtheToryBlackwood'sMagazinedeliveredaviolentattackonKeatsasan'ignorantandunsettledpretender'toculturewhohadnorighttoaspiretopoetry.AlthoughthecriticalreactiontoEndymionwasinfamousforitsferocity,theyouthfulbardwashardlydestroyedbyit—despiteByron'sfamousquipthatKeatswas'snuffedoutbyanArticle.'Thesurprisingtruthisthatheentereduponanintervalofastonishingproductivity,perhapsthemostconcentratedperiodofcreativityanyEnglishpoethaseverknown.Inthesummerof1818,KeatsjourneyedtoScotlandwithCharlesBrown,therugged,worldlybusinessmanwhowasoneofhismostloyalfriends.Therehevowed:'Ishalllearnpoetryhereandshallhenceforthwritemorethanever.'ThatfallhebegancomposingHyperion,hisimitationofandchallengetoMilton'sParadiseLost;evencriticssawtheworkasamajorachievement.InDecember,followinghisbrotherTom'sdeathfromtuberculosis,KeatswenttolivewithCharlesBrowninWentworthPlace,Hampstead.There,almostinspiteofhimself,theyoungpoetfellhelplesslyinlovewithFannyBrawne,theeighteen-year-olddaughterofawidowedneighbor;ayearlatertheywerebetrothed.In1819Keatsproduced'TheEveofSt.Agnes,''LaBelleDameSansMerci,'themajorodes,Lamia,theDanteandream-visionTheFallofHyperion,andthefive-actversetragedyOthotheGreat(writtenincollaborationwithBrown).OnFebruary3,1820,Keatssufferedapulmonaryhemorrhagethatsignaledanadvancedstageoftuberculosis.Hequicklybrokeoffhisengagementandbeganwhathecalleda-posthumousexistence.'Hiscareerasapoetwaseffectivelyended,althoughthevolumeLamia,Isabella,TheEveofSt.Agnes,andOtherPoems,containingthebulkofKeats'sclaimtoimmortality,waspublishedthatJuly.Inadesperateattempttorecoverhishealthinamilderclimate,KeatssailedforItalyinSeptemberaccompaniedbythepainterJosephSevern.DeclininganinvitationtostaywithShelleyinPisa,thetwoarrivedinRomeonNovember15andtookupresidenceinroomsoverlookingthePiazzadiSpagna.JohnKeatsdiedinRomeonthenightofFebruary23,1821,andwasburiedthereonFebruary26intheProtestantCemetery.OnhisdeathbedKeatsrequestedthathistombstonebearnoname,onlythewords'Hereliesonewhosenamewaswritinwater.'FromtheeBookedition.,,,
