We read fine things but never feel them to the full until we have gone
the same steps as the Author.' (John Keats to J.H. Reynolds, Teignmouth
May 1818)
John Keats is one of Britain's best-known and most-loved poets. Despite
dying in Rome in 1821, at the age of just 25, his poems continue to
inspire generations who reinterpret and reinvent the ways in which we
consume his work.
Apart from his long association with Hampstead, North London, he has not
previously been known as a poet of 'place' in the way we associate
Wordsworth with the Lake District, for example, and for many years
readers considered Keats's work remote from political and social
context. Yet Keats was acutely aware of and influenced by his
surroundings: Hampstead; Guy's Hospital in London where he trained as a
doctor; Teignmouth where he nursed his brother Tom; a walking tour of
the Lake District and Scotland; the Isle of Wight; the area around
Chichester and in Winchester, where his last great ode, To Autumn, was
composed.
Far from the frail Romantic stereotype, Keats captivated people with his
vitality and strength of character. He was also deeply interested in the
life around him, commenting in his many letters and his poetry on
historic events and the relationship between wealth and poverty. What
impact did the places he visited have on him and how have those areas
changed over two centuries? How do they celebrate their 'Keats
connection?'
Suzie Grogan takes the reader on a journey through Keats's life and
landscapes, introducing us to his best and most influential work. In
many ways a personal journey following a lifetime of study, the reader
is offered opportunities to reflect on the impact of poetry and
landscape on all our lives. The book is aimed at anyone wanting to know
more about the places Keats visited, the times he lived through and the
influences they may have had on his poetry. Utilizing primary sources
such as Keats's letters to friends and family and the very latest
biographical and academic work, it offers an accessible way to see Keats
through the lens of the places he visited and aims to spark a lasting
interest in the real Keats - the poet and the man.
