Enter teh Intarweb, stage right

At first glance, Keats’ influence on my own writing doesn’t strike me as apparent, and one might wonder how a British Romantic writer has any bearing on the younger generations of the 21st century. Then one might visit Google, or YouTube. In the hallowed halls of the internet, Keats is alive and well, even though he died one hundred and eighty-seven years ago.

Over four million results when searching for five little letters.


According to Heather Coombs, in English Romanticism by Laura Egendorf, “Keats’ way of ‘benefitting’ the world, then, is to concentrate upon what he calls ‘the principle of beauty in all things’,” (19). Perhaps, given how pervasive Keats seems to be, he benefitted the world in a different way. The question, then, is what way?

“For what has made the sage or poet write…But the fair paradise of Nature’s light,” (Egendorf 27).

“…If Poetry comes not as naturally as the Leaves to a tree it had better not come at all,” (Coombs 46).

“When I have fears that I may cease to be/before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain…”[1]


[1] Unless otherwise stated, all poems by Keats are from The Selected Poetry of Keats, edited by Paul de Man. A full citing can be found on the Bibliography page.