Reading Experience Database
1450-1945

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Record 22617

Reading Experience:

Evidence:
[Marginalia in Keats's annotated copy of "Paradise Lost", Book 7, lines 420-34] Keats underlines the phrase "With clang despised the ground, under a cloud/ In prospect." He writes: 'Milton in every instance pursues his imagination to the utmost - he is "sagacious of his Quarry", he sees Beauty on the wing, pounces upon it and gorges it to the producing of his essential verse. "So from the root the springs lighter the green stalk," etc. But in no instance is this sort of perseverance more exemplified than in what may be called his stationing or statuary. He is not content with simple description, he must station, - thus here, we not only see how the Birds "with clang despised the ground" but we see them "under a cloud in prospect." So we see Adam "Fair indeed and tall - under a plantane" - and so we see Satan "disfigured - on the Assyrian Mount." This last with all its accompaniments, and keeping in mind the Theory of Spirits' eyes and the simile of Gallilio [sic], has a dramatic vastness and solemnity fit and worthy to hold one amazed in the midst of this "Paradise Lost" -'
Century: 1800-1849
Date: unknown
Country: unknown
Time: n/a
Place: n/a
   
Type of Experience (Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Type of Experience (Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Reader/Listener/Reading Group:

Reader:John Keats
Age Adult (18-100+)
Gender Male
Date of Birth 31 Oct 1795
Socio-economic group: Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation: poet
Religion: atheist
Country of origin: England
Country of experience: unknown
Listeners present if any:
(e.g. family, servants, friends, workmates)
n/a
Additional comments: n/a

 

Text Being Read:

Author: John Milton
Title: Paradise Lost
Genre: Other religious, Poetry
Form of Text: Print: Book
Publication details: n/a
Provenance: owned

 

Source Information:

Record ID: 22617  
Source - Print  
  Author: John Keats
  Editor: John Barnard
  Title: John Keats: The Complete Poems
  Place of Publication: London
  Date of Publication: 1988
  Vol: n/a
  Page: 525
  Additional comments: The marginalia is transcribed in Appendix 4 of this edition

Citation: John Keats, John Barnard (ed.), John Keats: The Complete Poems  (London, 1988), p. 525, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=22617, accessed: 19 April 2024

Additional comments:

 

 

Reading Experience Database version 2.0.  Page updated: 27th Apr 2016  3:15pm (GMT)