is happily proved false. Even to-day it is probable that he has not reached the highest recognition which he is to win in the world of poetry. The one idea at the foundation of all his writings is the much-quoted phrase which begins "Endymion,"--"A thing of beauty is a joy forever," or as he expressed it in the "Ode on a Grecian Urn,"--"Beauty is truth." He is the poet of the senses, luxuriant, yet sublime. The Odes, "The Eve of St. Agnes," and "Hyperion" are hardly to be matched in the whole realm of English poetry. Strange to say Keats never studied Greek, leaving school before he reached that subject. Yet his work is nearer that of the Greeks in its exquisite balance of reason and feeling, in its absolute appreciation of beauty, and in purity of tone and style, nearer than that of all other English writers. But this is only true of his best work; in his other verse he lacks in taste and proportion, lavishing description without measure on every object of any charm. THE MAN 1. What was Keats's origin and education? 2. How do you explain his poetic talent? 3. Who were his contemporaries? 4. What was the probable reason for his early death? 5. What other poets of his time also died at an early age? 6. Where is he buried and with whom? 7. Are modern book reviews commonly unjust or harsh? 8. Shelley's "Adonais" was written as an elegy on Keats, and is more like Keats's own work than any other of his poems. See if you can trace the resemblance in style. STYLE AND WORKS 1. Keats belongs to the Romantic school, yet he is so great as to possess certain characteristics of the Classic. What are they? 2. What are the best lines in each of the selections? Why? 3. What are the leading differences between Keats and Shelley in style and thought? 4. In the "Ode to a Nightingale" there are several lines which might easily have been taken from Shakespeare, they are so similar to his style: can you find any of them? 5. Have you ever seen a Grecian urn or vase? (See encyclopedia or other reference work for illustrations.) 6. What English poet, much read by Keats, is suggested by "Hyperion"? 7. Judging by "Hyperion," did Keats possess narrative power? 8. Compare Keats with Wordsworth and Swinburne. Which do you prefer and why? 9. How does Arnold sum up Keats's work? I, 181. "THE EVE OF ST. AGNES" 1. How many stanzas are introductory? 2. Trace the growing sense of action in these. 3. Is Porphyro like Romeo? How? 4. At what general period in history does the action occur? 5. Is the narrative or descriptive quality predominant? 6. Note that the poet appeals to each of the senses. 7. Give examples of Keats's eye for color. 8. Is this poem superior to the two Odes? Why? FOR REFERENCE "Keats" ("English Men of Letters").--COLVIN. "Studies in Interpretation."--HUDSON. "Life, Letters, and Literary Remains."--MILNES. "John Keats: a Study."--OWEN.