17 Interesting Facts about John Keats

Interesting Facts about John Keats

In the realm of Romantic lyric John Keats is an incomparable genius. Here are a few interesting facts about John Keats:

1. Keats was born in London in 1795, his father Thomas Keats a livery stable keeper.
2. Keats was a slender and short man being just over 5 feet in height. His hair was a reddish brown colour and curly.

 

3. His father died in an accident when John was eight years old, and his mother died when he was

 

4. John Keats was appointed a guardian and kept at school for a further year, after which he was apprenticed to an Apothecary Surgeon for five years.
5. On finishing his apprenticeship and reaching the age of 20 he was entered into Guy’s Hospital as a Medical Student.

 

6. Then it was that Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene awakened him to the charm and power of poetry.

 

7. According to a friend, Richard Woodhouse, Keats was particularly horrible at reading his own poems not giving them justice.

 

8. When Keats became a published poet, he considered his earlier works to be awful so much so that he collected every piece of paper containing them and burned them.

 

9. Over his short life of 25 years, Keats published fifty-four poems and three novels as well as a few magazines using a wide range of poetic forms including odes and sonnets.

 

10. When Keats became a published poet, he considered his earlier works to be awful so much so that he collected every piece of paper containing them and burned them.

 

11. Unfortunately this great poet only had five years of his poetic career in which to write some of the poems the world has ever seen.

 

12. When John found out that his brother Tom had tuberculosis he went to him in order to nurse him putting his medical skills to use.

 

13. Tom died in December 1817 and unknown to John he had caught the disease from his brother.

 

14. Soon after his brother’s death, John Keats became engaged to Fanny Brawne and for the next year he produced the greatest of his works.

Also Read:

Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats Analysis

15. Keats was engaged to the love of his life, Fanny Brawne however they were never married. This was because Keats wanted to strongly build his role as a poet and earn money before him and Fanny was married. However, Keats became extremely unwell from tuberculosis and the marriage never occurred.

 

16. Whilst suffering from tuberculosis, Keats and Brawne could not have any physical contact. They communicated through a glass screen and sent each other love letters.

 

17. Keats died of tuberculosis in Rome, Italy on February 23rd, 1821. This disease had also killed his uncle, mother and brother. He is buried at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome.