Random Keats Sightings

[BrokenLyre]

C'mon Ennis! ha ha ha.... Amazing! I NEVER hear a Keats poem on TV .... what's the deal? Just once I want to post a real Keats reference in culture. Just once.....

[Cybele]

Do BrokenLyre and others need more "cultural" references?
How about this one:
(from "Blondie," circa 1985 or 1986)

[BrokenLyre]

C'mon!

[Raphael]

C'mon Ennis! ha ha ha.... Amazing! I NEVER hear a Keats poem on TV .... what's the deal? Just once I want to post a real Keats reference in culture. Just once.....

Well if you had seen Lark Rise to Candleford you would...

In episode 8, series one of Lark Rise To Candleford (a drama set in the 1890’s about the life of a village Lark Rise, and its neighbouring town Candleford) a handsome young farm hand Alf Arless wishes to get his life long friend Laura to see him in a more romantic light. The new school teacher Mr Delafield (interestingly on the liberal side of things) is holding a reading evening. Alf goes to Laura’s cottage and her father makes it clear he would be happy for him to court Laura. Despite him only being able to read his own name, Alf says he wants to do a reading and plans to memorise something- a poem. Laura’s little brother tells Alf that her favourite poem is Ode To A Nightingale. Laura’s father says the first line “My heart aches…” which Alf really likes and Laura’s father throws over the poetry book to him. Mr Delafield announces Alf is going to "recite John Keats’ Ode To A Nightingale,” (our poet gets a full mention!) .Unfortunately as Alf starts to recite the poem (and quite well too I might add) one of the villagers Queenie, who was minding Alf’s siblings (Alf’s parents are away- father at sea and mother in debtors’ jail) runs in to announce her daft old husband Twister has taken Alf’s siblings somewhere so he doesn’t get to recite the whole poem!
I was watching the DVD of this tonight- they had come free in a newspaper and Tesco supermarket had given them to me. It was great to see John’s poetry get a mention in one of my favourite historical dramas ever.

[BrokenLyre]

You people are unbelievable. I gotta find one of these movies.

On another note, I did teach Keats to a 12th Grade High School Class this past week. I loved doing it. Since I only had 40 minutes, I shared about his life, we read and discussed Chapman's Homer, and then more on his life, followed by When I Have Fears, followed by more on his life, then 2 excepts from his letters to Fanny B. and final remarks. A nice progression really - for the time it worked out wonderfully.

I think they were stunned by my excitement and intensity; and my Keats head, which I showed them. Oh well. I can't tone town my enthusiasm!

Just loved doing it. Hope I can do this for another class someday. The Teacher really liked it and said he learned a bunch he never knew about Keats. Class even gave me a little book on Keats' sonnets.

[Raphael]

Well done you Broken Lyre! And how nice you got given the sonnets book.
On the subject of Lark Rise To Candleford- two more Keatsian links with this series (which sadly has ended ... ):


Claudie Blakely who is Mrs Dilke in Bright Star is one of the actresses in it- she plays the wife of one of the villagers (and brilliant she is too)

In the episode I watched tonight (again on DVD) Queenie finds a piece of embroidery at a gravestone from the 1840's and the Misses Pratt, the local dress maker's (who have a shop) are shown it. They say a very skilled seamstress made it and one of the Misses Pratt says that "for a needlewoman embroidery is like the poet taking up the pen; it expresses her deepest longing." The embroidery shows Adam and Eve under the tree with an apple. Miss Pratt says the work is personal and shows devotion. It reminded me a bit of Bright Star and Fanny sewing the pillow slip for Tom. This episode was made well before Bright Star by the way. I wonder if the maker of the series is a poetry/Keats fan? The series is based on the semi autobiographical novels by Flora Thompson.
If you see it shown on TV watch it Broken Lyre- you will love it- it is brilliantly made and it had a reality to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lark_Rise_ ... (TV_series)

[BrokenLyre]

Thanks Raphael for the link.

I can see that Lark Rise... is a total chick flick. My wife and 19 year old daughter will love it, of course, as they sat through the 6 hour movie Pride and Prejudice twice!
Ok...they got me to see it also because they told me that "Cheapside" is mentioned and that is where Keats stayed for a while. ha ha ha

I will look for the DVD to buy for my wife. I will enjoy it to the extent I get a taste of Keats' world (though later than his life). Hey, it's the best I can do with the little time I have. Remember, I have 2 older boys that want to see their "manly" movies, so I have to negotiate quite a bit. Responsibilities of parenting...

Change of subject... I am planning on going to Boston in late June to visit the Houghton Library (in Harvard University). They have the largest Keats collection (I believe) and have many original writings of letters and poems. They have all kinds of Keatsiana too. I hope to see some great stuff in person. Oh yeah....... my wife wants to come too since it will be our anniversary. I guess I'll take her.

[Raphael]

Lark Rise is no chick flick- it is a quality series about the lives of people in the 1890's. Plently of "manly" stories in it.

Lucky you going to the Houghton library.

[BrokenLyre]

I hope to go to Houghton Library. It's not set in stone yet. But I'd really rather be in Hampstead, England. Or 26 Piazza di Spagna. I'll take what I can get.

[Cybele]

Ok - this is serious...

In 2008, I was driving through Erie, Pennsylvania (for those who don't know, Erie is a relatively small city on Lake Erie southwest of New York State, about 90 miles south of Buffalo, NY).

Anyway, I was driving down the main street (Route 19) when I saw a side road called "Keats Ave."
But when I was in the area some time ago, I noticed that the road sign was gone and they renamed it something else!!

C'mon! Our poet is still getting dissed today!

Probably John Gibson Lockhart's descendant is on the council board for street names!

But does this still count as a "Random Keats Sighting"?

So, Keats fans, I went to Erie this past week end and am sorry to report that Keats Avenue is no more. It has become part of -- oh no! -- a parking lot. This was originally a *very* short street, less than a regular city block long. I was surprised that this was a street I had walked along regularly on my way home from ice skating. (I never noticed the name back then.)

Keats Avenue is now a driveway and part of a parking lot for the recently remodeled and enlarged YMCA.

This is what is left of the street, now unmarked.

There is also a small playground. This, too, part of the YMCA. (Its address, if it had its own, would be on Keats Avenue.

[Ennis]

Well, he'd appreciate the crow (raven? blackbird?) perched on the chain link fence. . .

[Ennis]

Do BrokenLyre and others need more "cultural" references?
How about this one: https://picasaweb.google.com/102883722691529064723/KeatsPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCM2D6aC_0fvkDA#slideshow/5583970725984396802

In ((blasphemous) reference to Hayden's painting, Keats should be on the donkey. I sincerely apologize for any spiritual feelings I have most certainly hurt.

[Cybele]

Well, he'd appreciate the crow (raven? blackbird?) perched on the chain link fence. . .

It's a common American crow. Nothing so poetic as a raven.

[Cybele]

To make up for my recent frivolity, here is a picture by John Constable of Hampstead Heath. This small painting is in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The picture quality isn't all that great since I took the photo with my cell phone. (Don't worry -- the guard said it was OK so long as I didn't use flash.)
I meant to post this ages ago, but don't think I did.



I think the date of the painting is 1819 or 1820 -- so it looks much as it would have when our guy was exploring the area.
(Apologies if I've posted this before.)

[Raphael]

How lovely! Thanks for posting it- not seen this painting before.