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Harmonizing Two Horizons: Literature and Medicine in Poetry of John Keats

Received: 4 September 2023     Accepted: 19 September 2023     Published: 1 February 2024
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Abstract

Literature reflects life experiences and emotions, offering insight into society and suggesting ways to improve it. Writers should skillfully depict their society's reality and guide it towards higher ideals and greater compassion. They often delve into various aspects of human health and medical practices, considering biological, socioeconomic, and cultural dimensions. The interdisciplinary study of literature and medicine highlights literature's role at the crossroads of humanities, medicine, and social sciences. In portraying health conditions, writers demonstrate their awareness of societal issues and their dedication to societal and human betterment, especially given the prevalence of illness and medical encounters in our society. The intricate web woven between literature and medicine has yielded fascinating insights into the human condition, illuminating both the physiological and emotional facets of existence. This nexus, often overlooked, finds a remarkably harmonious embodiment in the poetry of John Keats, a remarkable literary figure whose legacy extends beyond his verses and delves into his experiences as a trained surgeon's apprentice. This introductory section seeks to shed light on the significance of investigating the confluence of literature and medicine in Keats' poetry and the unique insights this union brings to the fore. This research paper delves into the intricate interplay between literature and medicine within the poetry of John Keats. It examines how Keats intricately weaved elements of medical knowledge and human experience into his poetic works. The paper explores how Keats's exposure to medical training and his poetic vision converged, resulting in a unique perspective that resonates through his portrayal of characters and themes in his poetry. By investigating Keats's engagement with both medical knowledge and artistic expression, this paper seeks to shed light on the ways in which literature and medicine harmonized in his creative process.

Published in English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 9, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/ellc.20240901.12
Page(s) 9-15
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Literature and Medicine, Medical Humanities, Healthcare, Empathy, Pain, Suffering, Illnesses, Health Humanities and Mortality

References
[1] Banerjee, A., (2002). Female Voices in Keats's Poetry. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors.
[2] Chavis, Geri Gieben. “Poetry and Story Therapy: The Healing Power of Creative Expression”. Jessica Kinsley Publishers.
[3] Dana, CL (1916). Poetry and the Doctors: A Catalogue of Poetical Works Written by Physicians. Elm Tree Press, Woodstock, VT1916.
[4] De Almida, H. (1991) “Romantic Medicine and John Keats”. Oxford University Press. p. 138.
[5] Epstein, Joseph. (1999) The Medical Keats. The Hudson Review. Vol. II. No. 1. Apr 1999.
[6] Evans, G., (2002) Poison Wine: John Keats and the Botanic Pharmacy- The Keats-Shelley Review, 16(1), pp. 31-55.
[7] Everest, K. (2004). ‘John Keats (1795-1821)’. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Online Edition.
[8] Ghosh, H., (2020) Keats at Guy's Hospital: Moments, Meetings, Choices and Poems. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
[9] Gittings, R. (1973). ‘John Keats, physician and Poet’. JAMA. 224: 51-55.
[10] Goodman, W. R. (1968) A History of English Literature. Doabra House. Booksellers and Publishers. Nai Sarak, Delhi.
[11] Homans, M., 1990. Keats Reading Women, Women Reading Keats. Studies in Romanticism, 29(3), pp. 341-370.
[12] English Poetry http://www.eng-poetry.ru/english/Poem.php?PoemId=831 [Accessed 13 May2023]
[13] Lamia http://www.john-keats.com/gedichte/lamia_i.htm [Accessed 13 May2023]
[14] The Fall of Hyperion - A Dream http://www.john-keats.com/gedichte/the_fall_of_hyperion.htm [Accessed 13 May2023]
[15] Hyperion https://poets.org/poem/hyperion [Accessed 13 May2023]
[16] Jones, A. H. (1997). ‘Literature and Medicine: Physician-Poets’. In: Lancet 349: 275-278.
[17] Keats, John. (1895) “The Letters of John Keats”. Ed. Buxton Forman, Reeves and Turner:. p. 17.
[18] Keats, John. (1992) “The Poems of John Keats”. Everyman’s Library, p. 357.
[19] Keats, John. (2002) “The Selected Letters of John Keats”. Ed. Gant F. Scott. Harvard. p. 290.
[20] Kirpikli, D., (2019). The Principle of Beauty: The Gothic in John Keats's Isabella; or The Pot of Basil. Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi, 59(1), pp. 203-216.
[21] Nagar, A. and Prasad, N. A., (2005). Recritiquing John Keats. New Delhi: Prabhat Kumar Sharma for Sarup & Sons.
[22] Osier, W. (1896). ‘John Keats–The Apothecary Poet’. In: Johns Hopkins Husp Bull. 7: 11-16.
[23] Oyebode F. Preface. In: Oyebode F (ed) (2009), Mindreadings: literature and psychiatry. London: RCPsych Publications.
[24] Oyebode Femi (2010) The medical humanities: literature and medicine WIDER HORIZONS IN MEDICINE Clinical Medicine 2010, Vol 10, No 3: 242–4.
[25] Roe, Nicholas. “John Keats and the Medical Imagination”. Palgrave Macmillan Publications: Gurgaon. p. 27.
[26] Ruston, S. (2014). ‘John Keats, Poet-Physician’. In: Discovering Literature: Romantics and Victorians. British Library, online.
[27] Smith, H. (1984). ‘John Keats: Poet, Patient, Physician’. Rev Infect Dis. 6: 390-404.
[28] Sperry, S., (1962). The Allegory of Endymion. Studies in Romanticism, 2(1), pp. 38-53.
[29] Ziegenhagen, T., (2002) Keats, Professional Medicine, and the two Hyperions.. Literature and Medicine., 21(2), pp. 281-305.
[30] White, R., 2022. Keats's Anatomy of Melancholy. In Keats's Anatomy of Melancholy. Edinburgh University Press.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Kashikar, Y. S. (2024). Harmonizing Two Horizons: Literature and Medicine in Poetry of John Keats. English Language, Literature & Culture, 9(1), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.11648/ellc.20240901.12

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    ACS Style

    Kashikar, Y. S. Harmonizing Two Horizons: Literature and Medicine in Poetry of John Keats. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2024, 9(1), 9-15. doi: 10.11648/ellc.20240901.12

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    AMA Style

    Kashikar YS. Harmonizing Two Horizons: Literature and Medicine in Poetry of John Keats. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2024;9(1):9-15. doi: 10.11648/ellc.20240901.12

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  • @article{10.11648/ellc.20240901.12,
      author = {Yogesh Sumantrao Kashikar},
      title = {Harmonizing Two Horizons: Literature and Medicine in Poetry of John Keats},
      journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
      volume = {9},
      number = {1},
      pages = {9-15},
      doi = {10.11648/ellc.20240901.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/ellc.20240901.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.ellc.20240901.12},
      abstract = {Literature reflects life experiences and emotions, offering insight into society and suggesting ways to improve it. Writers should skillfully depict their society's reality and guide it towards higher ideals and greater compassion. They often delve into various aspects of human health and medical practices, considering biological, socioeconomic, and cultural dimensions. The interdisciplinary study of literature and medicine highlights literature's role at the crossroads of humanities, medicine, and social sciences. In portraying health conditions, writers demonstrate their awareness of societal issues and their dedication to societal and human betterment, especially given the prevalence of illness and medical encounters in our society. The intricate web woven between literature and medicine has yielded fascinating insights into the human condition, illuminating both the physiological and emotional facets of existence. This nexus, often overlooked, finds a remarkably harmonious embodiment in the poetry of John Keats, a remarkable literary figure whose legacy extends beyond his verses and delves into his experiences as a trained surgeon's apprentice. This introductory section seeks to shed light on the significance of investigating the confluence of literature and medicine in Keats' poetry and the unique insights this union brings to the fore. This research paper delves into the intricate interplay between literature and medicine within the poetry of John Keats. It examines how Keats intricately weaved elements of medical knowledge and human experience into his poetic works. The paper explores how Keats's exposure to medical training and his poetic vision converged, resulting in a unique perspective that resonates through his portrayal of characters and themes in his poetry. By investigating Keats's engagement with both medical knowledge and artistic expression, this paper seeks to shed light on the ways in which literature and medicine harmonized in his creative process.
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Author Information
  • English Department, Shriram Kala Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Dhamangaon Rly, Amravati, Maharashtra, India

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