• Ramen Goswami

The Odes of John Keats represent the consummation of his poetic talent. They are “above criticism, pure gold of poetry--virgin gold” to borrow the expression of S.A. Brooke. As De Selincourt aptly observes, “ In the Odes Keats has no master; and their indefinable beauty is so direct and so distinctive an effluence of his soul that he has no disciple.” Keats deliberately chose this medium. Like the lyric, ode is of Greek origin. It is a Greek word, which means a song usually of some length. The main features are an elaborate stanza – structure, a marked formality and stateliness in tone and style, and lofty sentiments and thoughts. In short, an ode is rather a grand poem, which is of two basic kinds: the public and the private. The public is used for ceremonial occasions, like funerals, birthdays, state events; the private often celebrates rather intense, personal and subjective occasions. It is inclined to be meditative and reflective. Tennyson’s “Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington’ is an example of the former; Keats’s “Ode to Nightingale” is an example of the latter. Pindaric Odes are named after the Greek, poet Pindar while Horacian Odes are written after the model provided by the Latin poet Horace.In England Ben Jonson was the first to write in Pindaric tradition. Later Andrew Marvell wrote his Horacian Ode and Abraham Cowley introduced the “English Irregular Odes.”

escapism, Hellenism, myth, plethora, negative capability.

"Keats as a Writer of Odes in English Literature", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.8, Issue 12, page no.d629-d644, December-2021, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2112376.pdf

"Keats as a Writer of Odes in English Literature", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.8, Issue 12, page no. ppd629-d644, December-2021, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2112376.pdf