John Keats

Has life been so bad that you thought you were at breaking point? Mine has just begun to unravel and I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown + burnout and yet somehow I will make it. Today I have the pleasure of touching on a poet I had never heard of before Wednesday and may never read about; John Keats. Born in the late 18th century, an era most of us would consider barbaric and one of the most dangerous as far as health was concerned. Ibelieve they were still lynching 'witches' then, poor women. You wouldn't have wanted to be sick then either; a simple infected cut would have disastrous. I could only imagine the trauma of seeing a surgeon, may have even been better to let gangrene settle than be 'abused' by your 'doctor'. Born to a livery stable keeper on the 31st of October 1795, Keats was destined for a hard life. This isn't a biography of the poet but my admiration of a man I didn't know existed, kudos to John Keats.
John Keats was the oldest of four children as one would guess responsibility began at an early age that much hasn't changed over 300+ years.
At the tender age of 8, John lost his father through death and that would have been the beginning of a hard life for him. His poor remarried and left home, to an extent abandoning her children in the care of the grandmother. This idea still lurks in the minds of some women today, get kids leave them with their grandmother and enjoy life to the maximum. I thought having kids meant changing your lifestyle to suit your family. My belief is that once a couple or woman decides to have child/ren, there is a certain code of conduct that would be expected. Late nights would be reduced and more attention put to rearing the child/ren. (I guess am a minority here)
Keats mother returned to her family after four years and with her may have brought blight for the family. She had contracted Tuberculosis and she died 6 years after her return home, given the era there wasn't that could be done. Death was imminent and the burden of care fell on John Keats who nursed her until her death later that year. John Keats like most us was so fond of his mother that the welter of emotion she left in him is reflected in the series of adored inconstant women around him. After her death their grandmother thought it best to give custody to two London based businessmen, Richard Abbey and John Rowland Sandell. I would think they were relatives or close friends of the family, Richard Abbey took the bulk of the responsibility for these children. These gentlemen's main task would be to apprentice the children to some viable trade, no different from our era. (Attend uni/college, get a job for life; yeah right!)
Keats was apprenticed to a London hospital surgeon and I would imagine given there wasn't much in the field of anesthetic, his was a tale to tell at the local pub after hours one would hope. The again maybe a drink for breakfast would have helped them cope with the horror they faced on a daily basis. In his younger life Keats had been introduced to literature, music and the theatre by Charles Cowden; Principal’s son. In his years in medicine John Keats kept his love for poetry and would on occasions take off to read and write poetry. In 1817 his choices in life would leave no doubt that his love for poetry wasn't just a goose bump feel, or a way to meet the honeys. (come on guys you know what am talking about, going for romantic movies just to impress the ladies, wink wink. I am guilty of this old facade, doesn't work though)
John Keats graduated from medical school but abandoned the industry even before he could practice, Apothecary was his field (more like a GP I think, in this age).
The summer of 1818, he spent on a walking tour in Northern England and Scotland. His return home was marred by the ailment of his brother, Tom. He too had contracted TB and I would think this may have been rampant in that time, sanitation wasn't the priority I would guess. Not all was blue for Keats, during this time he met Fanny Brawne. A young woman whom he fell in love with and this may have contributed to the quality of his work. Keats best work is credited for the years 1818-1819, I guess love can do wonders for us men. Keats was working on "Hyperion" when Tom died; he seized writing this piece for a while. The poor bloke had to mourn, two people had died of TB in his family, lets cut him some slack people. He later re-wrote Hyperion but renamed it as "The Fall of Hyperion", unpublished until 1856.
That same autumn of 1819 Keats too contracted TB and by the following February he felt that death was already upon him, referring to the present as his "posthumous existence". July 1820 Keats published his third and best volume of poetry Lamina, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes and other Poems, dealing with mystical and legendary themes of ancient, medieval and Renaissance times. "Hyperion" the unfinished version was also contained in this publication. John Keats contemporaries considered fragment of Hyperion to be his greatest achievement.
Keats did continue to liaise with Fanny Brawne and when he couldn't to write her, her mother. His failing health and literary ambitions prevented their marriage and from the orders of his doctor, Keats moved to warmer Rome with Joseph Severn; good friend and a painter.
John Keats died on February 23rd 1821 at the tender age of 25 years and was buried in the Protestant Cemetery. I hope I had done justice to John Keats given I only had 2 hours to read about the poet and draw my conclusion. On a general note, it wasn’t my intent to bore you with a poet’s life.

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