The concept of nature in the sonnets by John Keats

E.G. Linyuchkina*, M.A. Kozyreva**

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

E-mail: *evalinyu@mail.ru, **kozyr2m@mail.ru

Received November 22, 2016

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Abstract

The paper considers the concept of nature in the sonnets of John Keats, an English romantic poet of the early 19th century. The relevance of the problem under investigation is due to the interest of modern philology in the individual style of authors. The purpose of the paper is to determine the concept of nature in the most representative works of the author. The leading method to the study of this problem is thorough analysis of the original works by J. Keats, written in the genre of the sonnet, which is characteristic for the studied poet.

The analysis revealed that the concept of nature in J. Keats' works is composed of several interacting layers. Firstly, the nature appears in its various manifestations, from the very small (grain, grasshopper, drop of dew) to the biggest ones (ocean, rock). The objects and phenomena of nature act not only as visual images familiar to the reader, but also as a variety of symbols. Thus, J. Keats implies a rich symbolic meaning into the images of flowers (rose, violet, carnation, and others). Secondly, the concept of nature is inseparably connected with the philosophical concepts of love and beauty. For J. Keats, the nature is synonymous to love and beauty, being, at the same time,  more  meaningful  than  they  are.

Thirdly, the concept of nature includes biblical and mythological images that act as the personified forces of nature. And, finally, feelings and emotions of the lyrical character of J. Keats caused by the contemplation of the natural beauty of the world are in harmony with the nature. Thus, the paper shows that the concept of nature in the sonnets of J. Keats is formed at the objective, philosophical, and symbolic levels, as well as at the level of feelings.

The materials of the paper may be useful for the scientists studying the work of J. Keats, teachers of the English literature of the 19th century, and poetry translators dealing with J. Keats' rendering into the Russian language.

Keywords: concept of nature, John Keats, mythological images, concept of beauty, concept of love, England, Italy, symbol

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For citation: Linyuchkina E.G., Kozyreva M.A. The concept of nature in the sonnets by John Keats. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2017, vol. 159, no. 1, pp. 242–255. (In Russian)


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