Lockdown Literature 4.1

Hi folks,

Hope you enjoyed the end of Isabella! Out of the ones we’re doing, it’s the one Keats was least proud of – but I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for it. Its best bits are great (the happy stanzas, the brothers, the digging scene, the ending) but it is a bit inconsistent. It’s definitely a good one for discussing tragedy though – and we’ll get into that a little today.

Thanks for all of your ‘digging’ paragraphs. Feedback is coming. Before you go on, just check that you’ve completed the work I set on Thursday.

 

Here’s the next set of tasks:

1) Do this quiz.

2) Make sure you have completed ‘Isabella on a page’ and you have annotated the poem in your anthology. The notes links can now be found in the 'Links' menu on the right hand side of this page. ---------------->

3) Use the resources below to make notes on these key Keatsian concepts:

• Negative Capability 
• egotistical sublime (the antithesis of negative capability) 
• the chameleon poet (how Keats thinks of himself as a poet)

This doc explains these ideas pretty well. And here's an article from the British Library.

These little bits from Andrew Motion’s Keats biography (I’m into the second half of it now) also links to the idea of the chameleon poet:

Here’s an extract from one of Keats’s most famous letters:

 

 

Think about that the text time you want to tell me about Keats’s aims and intentions in an essay! And don’t even think about using the word ‘didactic’! 

Feel free to send a picture of your notes if you want me to check them.

3) Finally, add your ideas under the questions in this editable shared document to explain (in a sentence or two) how the ideas of negative capability and the chameleon poet are reflected in Isabella, and what your interpretations of the poem are. The document is spread over two sides so that we can pool all our great ideas.

I don’t know how well the shared doc idea will work – but let’s give it a try. Make sure you write something for each question, even if it’s just to agree and expand on someone else’s thoughts. Add your name in brackets after your answer. The earlier you do it, the easier it will be!

I’ll share my thoughts about these questions after you’ve had a chance to ponder them for yourself first.

That’s it. Next time, we’ll try to wrap up this question and I’ll add my own interpretations into the mix. I’m also pondering whether to give you a mini-essay before we move on to the next poem(?)!  Or maybe some Othello revision. Or both. What do you think?

Take care,

Mr M

P.S. Before you go, here’s a bonus audio clip from ‘Bright Star’, a film about Keats’ final years and his relationship with Fanny Brawne. Ben ‘Paddington’ Whishaw plays Keats. Here, when Fanny Brawne says she 'doesn't know how to work out a poem', Keats explains his poetic philosophy. 

P.P.S. Which Romantic poet are you?

(Me: wannabe Shelley; probably Wordsworth!)