to autumn Flashcards
who was it written by and some brief life info?
John Keats (1819) died aged 25 of TB gained fame after his death now one of England's most loved poets (a Romantic poet)
what are the key themes?
imagination-highlights the healing power of imagination
the sublime- when you see epic sights=that feeling
childhood and nature-believed children are special due to their innocence and precious love of nature
what is the structure like?
3 stanzas each of 11 lines
a couplet before each concluding line of stanza- could evoke peace and harmony
follows the structure of an odal hymn
what is the historical and literary context?
Historical Context: Keats wrote the poem after he enjoyed a beautiful autumnal walk in September 1819 - directly inspired by nature.
He trained as a doctor and, experiencing the first symptoms of tuberculosis, might have known he was dying, hence some consider the poem a meditation on mortality.
Literary Context: A key Romantic poet - evident in his exploration of the sublime beauty of nature in this poem.
‘To Autumn’ can be said to exemplify the Keatsian concept of negative capability - the willingness to let whatever is mysterious or doubtful remain just that.
quote 1: ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun’ what could you say about this?
The use of sibilance (‘s’ sound, sense of softness) and assonance (repeated ‘o’ sounds, drawn out) combine to create a sense of effort and pleasure.
quote 2: ‘Conspiring with him how to load and bless’ what could you say about this?
The sun is personified and this image of close friendship creates a sense of personal warmth. Links to Romantic idea that God lives in nature
quote 3: ‘For Summer has o’erbrimm’d their clammy cells’ what could you say about this?
Climactic, Autumn is summer overdone. Sense of being full and satisfied but suggests it cannot last.
quote 4: ‘Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep’ what could you say about this?
Activity of first stanza is replaced by more leisurely actions which mirrors the slowing of growth in nature.
quote 5: ‘Thou watchest the last oozings hour by hours’ what could you say about this?
Onomatopoeic which creates sense of excessive moisture. Repetition emphasises the inevitability of time passing.
quote 6: ‘Where are the songs of Spring?’ what could you say about this?
Rhetorical question is a reminder of cyclical nature of seasons, creates sense of loss and melancholy which sets mood of final stanza.
