Keats As An Escapist.pdf

Keats As An Escapist

Romanticism was a reaction against rationality and scientific approach of the Age of Reason. Political occurrence, social unrest, mental disturbances, moral insecurity, religious confusions and philosophical ideologies of the day, all added to the element of escapism in writers’ thought, personalities and ultimately their works. Escapism can be defined as ​the tendency to escape from daily reality or routine by indulging in day dreaming, fantasies or entertainment. It is an inclination or habit of retreating from unpleasant reality, as through diversion or fantasy (Oxford Dictionary). Escapism can be called as a movement in itself. All romantic writing, we can see, is more or less escapist in nature. Escapism can be said as one of the main feature of all romantic writing. Like all romantic poets, Keats, longs to escape from the bitter realities. But a careful study of his poetry reveals that his escapism is only a passing mood. Some critics declare Keats as a romantic escapist. In “ ode to a nightingale” Keats fully expounds upon romantic escapism. He is pouring out his thoughts very beautifully and is longing for escape from the world full of strife, sadness and grief. As he says, “ ​Fade far away, dissolve and quiet forget The weariness the fever and the fret” In these lines Keats demands escapism from the sorrows and tensions of life. By his power of imagination, he decides to fly with the nightingale through the help of poetry because it is the only weapon provided to him. As he says, “​Away! Away! For I will fly thee Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards But on the viewless wings of poesy” Escapism of Keats is also clearly depicted in these lines, “ Leave the world unseen, and with thee fade away in the forest of dim” In another ode “ ode on a Grecian Urn”, Keats deals with some escapist ideals. As he expounds in his own mind upon the love affair depicted upon the Grecian Urn, he laments, “​Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter, therefore, ye soft pipes play on.” In other words, the world he imagines is always better than the one he is actually living in. Keats is of the view that constant sorrows lead to escapism. He is conscious that real great poetry arises from the experiences of hard reality. As he says, “None can usurp the height, but those Whom the miseries of the world Are misery, and will not let them rest.” Besides all this, ​“ A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” ​this is the life long creed of Keats. There is never a more ardent lover of beauty than Keats. But does his love and pursuit

of beauty make him to ignore the reality of life? In one of his early poems ​Sleep and Poetry. He says, “The realm of Flora and Pan Can i ever bid these joys, farewell? Yes I must bid these joys, farewell”. These lines show that the Keats has potential and ability to face the bitter realities of life. Keats is born at a time when the whole of Europe is shaken by the ideas of revolution, but in his poetry these ideas never find expression. According to Stopeford Brooke, “Keats is so preoccupied with beauty that he turned a blind eye to the actualities of life around him.” It is true that his poetry does not express the revolutionary ideas of his times, as Shelley’s poetry does. Every artist has his own bent of genius. He has his own vision of life and expresses it in his own way​. ​Wordsworth has a spiritual vision, Shelly has an idealistic vision and Keats has an artistic vision of beauty. As he believes in ​beauty is truth, truth beauty​. As Courthope says, “If his aim is to pursue beauty, which is also truth, he cannot be an escapist, for in pursuing beauty, he pursues truth”. Some critics regard him as a realist because he also has courage to face the cruelties of life. Unlike Shelley, he comes back to the world’s reality to face its pitilessness and malice. He is aware of the fact that he cannot blind himself from his utter reality and its connection with world is unbreakable as he says in these lines, “Forlorn! The very world is like a bell To toll me back from thee to my sole-self Adieu! The fancy can’t cheat, so well As she is famed to do, deceiving elf.” In the tenacity of the above argument we can call Keats as an escapist because he escapes just for an excursion and it is always a passing mood. The controversy regarding aloofness from life has arisen only because he is a pure, a devoted worshipper. In his timely escapes his feet always touch the ground and he lets a casement open to come back. He doesn't escape from life, as is sometimes supposed to be, but he escapes into life..

References

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Jakson, Walter, ​A Collection Of Critical Essays​, Englewood Cliff, New Jersey. C.K. Hillegass, ​Keats and Shelley​, Cliffs Notes. Jack Stillinger, ​Keats Odes​, United States America. http://www.askliterature.com http://www.pdfcoke.com http:///www.publishyourarticles.net

Keats As An Escapist

Prepared by: Afifa Noor Isra Ghafoor Khadija

Presented to: Mrs Sasha Asif