October 25, 1818
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| George Keats – Brother of John Keats (3) |
There were quite a few letters written from John Keats to his brother, George, and his sister-in-law Georgiana. In this particular one, Keats discussed his sadness upon not writing to them more, his friend Tom’s health, and comments on Georgiana, their family, and a goes into great detail about a woman whose name is not given. The greatest interest in this letter are the views John Keats brings to light about women in general, Georgiana, and this “east indian,” (1) as well as comments on politics, and poets in general.
As far as women are concerned, Keats writes, “the opinion I have of the generality of women – who appear to me as children to whom I would rather give a sugar plum than my time.” He also writes, “they do not know what a woman is,” this of course could mean that he does, or that nobody knows. (1) One would think that he believes he knows, as he goes into description of the other woman, “she is not a Cleopatra, but she is at least a Charmian.” (1) He claims, “I speak of the thing as a passtime and amuzement than which I can feel none deeper than a conversation with an imperial woman the very ‘yes’ and ‘no’ of whose lips is to me a banquet.” (1) However, she is not as Fanny, his lover, but more alike to George’s wife, as he writes, “I have no libidinous thought about her, she and your George are the only women a peu pres de mon age whom I would be content to know for their mind and friendship alone.” (1) This is perhaps the highest compliment he could have given to her, as he says of Georgiana, “she is the same to me in Matter, what [George] is to me in Spirit,” and “I know not only a Sister but a glorious human being.” (1) In fact, he speaks so highly of her that he feels he must placate George, “do not think dear Brother from this that my Passions are headlong or likely to be ever of any pain to you.” (1)
Of his comment on politics, he says a few interesting bits. He claims, “there is of a truth nothing manly or sterling in any part of the Government.” He even goes on to say that, “there are none prepared to suffer in obscurity for their country – the motives of our worst men are interest and of our best Vanity.” (1) These are harsh words to express, for here he is condemning the entirety of the system and the people that run it. He also comments on America, in writing, “I differ… with the idea that America will be the country to take up the human intellect where England leaves off.” (1) He writes again, “those American’s are great but they are not sublime Man – the humanity of the United States can never reach the sublime.” (1) The thought could be pondered to whether this prophecy stayed true or not.
Finally his comment on poets becomes almost haughty, as he actually describes himself as, “I shall be among the English poets after my death.” (1) He then goes on to write a poem on how he believes his brother’s son should grow up to be a poet like himself, and describes a poet as, “bard art thou completely / sweetly with dumb endeavor,” and “it dares what no one dares,” in other words he is seeming to say that a poet is a bard that writes after foolish things, but that they dare to do what no one else will attempt. (1)
Keats, in this letter as in his others, seems to focus on not only his theme, but on the general Romantic theme of other worldly things, spirits, and transcendence. He writes, “I feel more and more everyday, as my imagination strengthens, that I do not live in this world but in a thousand worlds – no sooner am I alone than shapes of epic greatness are stationed around me, and serve my Spirit the office which is equivalent to a King’s bodyguard.” (1) This shows just how deeply Keats was into these concepts. He also writes, “there are two distinct tempers of mind in which we judge of things – the worldly, theatrical, and pantomimical; and the unearthly, spiritual, and etherical.” (1) He speaks of spirits as well in poems such as “On Seeing the Elgin Marbles,” were he writes, “My spirit is too weakâmortality / Weighs heavily on me like unwilling sleep, / And each imagined pinnacle and steep / Of godlike hardship tells me I must die,” this not only touches on spirit, but on the imagination Keats refers to. (2)
1. To George and Georgiana Keats
2. On Seeing the Elgin Marbles
3. Painting of George Keats