Monday, May 04, 2009

"Who killed John Keats?"

My favorite stanza of Byron's Don Juan:
John Keats, who was killed off by one critique,
Just as he really promised something great,
If not intelligible, - without Greek
Contrived to talk about the Gods of late,
Much as they might have been supposed to speak.
Poor fellow! His was an untoward fate: -
'Tis strange the mind, that very fiery particle,
Should let itself be snuffed out by an Article.

1 comment:

  1. This idea is so interesting to me. I just did a blog post about the life of John Keats (as well as the upcoming film about Keats) and I have a hard time connecting his death to the Shelley article -- it seems like a poetic thought, but obviously the tuberculosis was such a dreadful disease.

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