Memorial

[BrokenLyre]

Where is everybody on this Forum - on this 194th anniversary of the death of John Keats?

I hope his circle is not diminishing - I for one, will remember my friend in my own way.

Hope you are all well tonight.

[Saturn]

I did recognise it myself reading a few poems but little point posting anything here when weeks, months go by with no-one making a contribution.

The admirers of Keats are not diminishing I'm sure, just a forum or discussion site like this is maybe no longer what people want or need.

Perhaps that's my fault, I don't know.

Glad to see you still visit Broken Lyre.

[Ennis]

I surely didn't forget him - never have, never will. But I, too, have wondered where we all have been - including myself! I'm trying to plan a trip to London and Rome next year for the 195th anniversary of literature's greatest loss, but I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off financially. I'm desperately trying, though. Bless you, Keats, and I hope you're happy wherever you are. We all love you.

[BrokenLyre]

Thanks Saturn & Ennis. So good to hear from you both again. I have been swamped with work - again - and it took the last 3 months out of my life - and I had a car accident in January - lost my car (97 Buick). It was a lousy car anyway. Life's demands have been heavy recently.
I will try looking around here more often.

[Cybele]

I stop by the forum once a week or so. I'm also sad about the diminished activity. How could things be revitalized?

[Ennis]

You would think our love and respect for Keats would be enough for a revitalization, but please, Saturn, if it's within your "power," please don't remove our forum! Wherever will we find like souls? Where will our early 21st century (yuck: I'd much rather prefer early 19th century) version of the Keats Circle be found?! True, I have absolutely no idea how much it takes to maintain a site such as this one, but even though we're sometimes slow (at initiating and continuing Keatsian conversations), we need your forum and your effort(s) as our voice!!

[BrokenLyre]

I fully agree with Ennis here. This is a wonderfully comfortable place for me to go to - when I have some time. It's an oasis in my life and I too, like Ennis, feel so glad to be a part of this 'Keats circle.'

[Saturn]

Hey guys I couldn't and wouldn't even if I had the power to, take away this place, it's had such an influence in my life I will cling onto as long as it can exist in this form.

What I will say is that I am merely the steward, the caretaker of this place, not a shepherd to herd people here, round them up in any way.

Every one of you reading this has the power to change the discussion, to initiate it, to begin new threads, new areas of exploration.

If you know anyone interested in Keats or poetry and literature point them this way, encourage them to join up and participate.
There can still be a place for forums like this if there is a collective will to keep them going by lively and frequent debates.

Those of you who long for a 19th century forum for discussion perhaps you could [confidentially] swap addresses, write letters, things like that, make your participation seem more 'real'.

I can't withhold the tide of progress, nor would I wish to do so, there is much that is great about the internet and how it has developed in the last 10-15 years but you only get out of it what you decide to put into it.

It doesn't have to be anything about Keats, or poetry or anything else; we have the miscellaneous section for discussions of any kind.

No man [or woman] is an island but nor are a few disparate souls a community. A community can only be forged by interaction and sharing of ideas and thoughts.

[BrokenLyre]

Saturn - your words are certainly true and extremely wise. You are clear about what this Forum is, and how it should operate. Thank you for sharing a concise statement about the nature of this Forum and in so doing encouraging members to continue being involved. I couldn't agree more with you on your excellent post - especially the point that we all live in a community that naturally requires communication (like all communities). I could not have stated it better.

[Ravenwing]

Hey everybody,

I stopped participating at this forum because I did not feel welcome here when talking about John Keats in relation to astrology. I know that some people at this forum do not personally believe in astrology, but that was never the point. It is a fact that there are numerous astrological references in Keats' work, which likely means that he did believe in astrology. I think that this is an entirely new area of Keatsian scholarship which has yet to be explored, and I was hoping for those of us here to work together, in order to explore that new ground of his literary terrain. For the most part, astrology is no longer taught at universities in this day and age, but it was taught in great detail during Keats' day and age, and especially behind closed doors. As such, there are mysteries which this day and age has been oblivious to, regarding Keats' poetry.

Also, another reason as to why I did not feel welcome at this forum, is because when I did post a link to my website that has more than one hundred pages of the earliest Keats' biographies, ten of them, thus far, that date from 1817 to 1911, it did not seem that anybody cared. In a perfect world, those of us that care about the work of Keats, and about the man himself, would put aside any personal differences, so that we may work together, in order to resurrect the life of this forum.

I need to upgrade my website that includes a vast Keats' library of biographies: http://webspace.webring.com/people/tl/lanouvelledecadence/keahome.html . I am not interested in having it compete with this forum. I am interested in working with others and other Keats websites, including this forum, so that there can be a great Keats' neighbourhood of websites on the Internet, so that anytime anybody from around the world does visit the Keats' neighbourhood of websites, they can stroll around each property, and get to know each other, and become friends.

So, I ask for those of you reading this message, to visit the Keats section of my website, because I would like to hear from you regarding how we can all work together on uniting the different Keats' websites so that an interconnected and friendly online and worldwide Keats neighbourhood of websites may emerge. As the owner of a website that features the poems and life of Keats, I would not mind if this forum were to be the official forum of the Keats' section of my website...if you ask me, this forum should be the official forum of every Keats' website.

But this is not my forum. What it seems to me, is that this forum has been abandoned by its owner, after having entrusted its moderation powers to Saturn.

Personally, I would prefer if this forum had the capability for its members to post in fonts other than Arial font. But most importantly, if there are a few of us here that can work together on making this forum the centrepiece of an online Keats' neighbourhood, a pub of sorts that links to many different Keats' websites—if the owners of other Keats websites are each going to be asked to link their own Keats website to this forum, then it is only fair that the owner of this forum should be agreeable to posting links to those Keats websites on this forum. But how can that happen, if the owner of this forum continues to be derelict in their duty to help keep it populated? It is almost impossible for any website or forum that is not advertised or that does not have links on many other websites to have enough traffic with which to be properly populated.

This forum has a wonderful history. I say that it is high time we help that history give birth to the present. The legacy of Keats needs for us to nurture the next stage of this forum's development into being.

There are only six years remaining before the 200th anniversary of Keats' death does arrive. I motion for those of us that care about this forum, to conspire well before then, in order for the different Keats websites to become united, as an online neighbourhood, whereby they are all linked to each other, and whereby this forum with its great history of Keats based discussions shall be our neighbourhood's official Keats' forum.

First off, I suggest that we post in this thread or a new thread, a master list of all known Keats websites (including each website's e-mail address). That would require for each of us to sift through twenty or so pages at Google, Yahoo, and other search engines listing "John Keats" websites, with one of us being responsible for doing that at Google, another at Yahoo, another at Bing, etc.

*Sighs. What is the story regarding the owner of this forum? Do they merely consider it to have been a high school experiment that briefly took on a life of its own? But those of us that have read many of the old threads and enjoyed its rich literary history know that this forum deserves to become properly populated again.

Work together with me, my brothers and sisters, that we may help forge into a neighbourhood a good many of the world's Keats websites! Let us have regular meetings, once a month, to put such a plan into motion! For the sake of literature! For the sake of poetry! For the sake of Keats!

From Ravenwing.

[Saturn]

I can look into the thing about fonts, I didn't realise you couldn't change them. I'll see what I can do on that.

Not meaning to be rude, but If people don't 'care' or aren't interested to read through your however many pages of Keats biographies that's sad but you have to suck that up. There's no need to come here berating people because they don't have the time or interest to wade through it. It doesn't mean they hate you or don't care about the work you've done. I'm sure your site is admirable and you've put a lot of effort into it.

A lot of the most prominent posters on this board I've known over the years are 'friends' of mine on Facebook and they have simply moved on with their very very busy lives and very rarely have the chance to read or post on this forum any more, nothing personal to anyone, or nothing about the loss of interest in the subject or whatever.
Modern life is so very hectic and time consuming and the internet is so vast and all persuasive not everyone has time for things like this.

If that makes you feel unwelcome, I'm sorry you do but that is your own problem and perception. I don't know why it would though. You have to accept people's own views and interests as different to your own. I've posted many a thread or topic that no-one or very few have ever replied to, it doesn't make me feel unwelcome or that nobody cares.

This forum is not anyone's to own or control, as I've said before I'm merely the custodian of it, the facilitator.
The owner, or originator of this forum is Thilo, a German gentleman I believe who also hosts a forum about Rilke and on on Goethe last time I looked.
You have every right to post your complaints, concerns or whatever your ideas are to him by private message.
Whether you receive a reply or not I don't know it's been many years since I heard from him but I can ensure it is not neglect or an abandoned experiment of any kind.

I think you're taking this all way too seriously to be honest.

It's sad but these things happen, people move on and other things become more important to them.

Don't take it too much to heart please.

[Ravenwing]

Saturn,

YES, AND IT IS PRECISELY because life itself might influence some members of this forum to be "too busy," that this forum does need to have a mechanism in place whereby it can regularly receive a stream of new members. Of course, it is usually liars who claim to be "too busy," because the truth is that they do not care, and not only do they not care, they do not care to be honest about the fact that they do not care. The truth hurts, but only in the short term, whereas a deceit is that which hurts in the long term.

WHAT HAS THIS FORUM'S OWNER DONE, within the past few years, to help this forum have a proper annual membership drive? It seems that the owner of this forum is one of its members who is "too busy" to care about the well being of this forum—and so this forum has become very close to being a ghost forum, for it is a shadow of its former self. We can remedy that, if we work together.

WHEN FIRST I DID REGISTER AN ACCOUNT HERE, I sent a letter to its owner, which asked if they could add a feature whereby its members can choose the kind of font they would like their posted messages to wear, but I did not receive a reply. That you have not heard from them either, strongly suggests to me that this forum has been abandoned by its owner, and several years ago, from all accounts. Has anybody here heard from the owner of this forum during the past few years?

GOOD NEWS! Well, somewhat. Upon looking at Thilo's profile page, it says that he last did visit this forum on Fri Jul 18, 2014 4:13 pm. So, this forum has not been abandoned for many years—it has merely been abandoned for many months! Or perhaps Thilo has lurked upon this forum since then—perhaps the man is reading this post right now! If so, then hello! We like this forum! We want for it to continue! We need for its traffic to increase! Kindly hand over the ownership reigns of this forum to Saturn or another of its members that cares!

SATURN, I resent your having said that I berated members of this forum. It was very rude of you to have said that, because it simply is not true.

I PUT FORTH ANOTHER IDEA, for how this forum can have new members: For a friendly competition amongst ourselves to be held, whereby each of us does scribble together an invitation for new members—a gregarious greeting that is proud of this forum's rich history, and honest about what this forum has become—on the verge of being a ghost forum and thus desperately in need of being rescued by Keats lovers from around the world. Then, for those of us that would regret the death of this forum to vote on those invitation-entries, with the winning entry being what each of us does agree to send to a good many strangers at Facebook that have each "liked," of their own accord the John Keats page there which has more than 90,000 members: https://www.facebook.com/search/105498366150837/likers and https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Kea ... 8366150837

IF EACH OF US that did participate in this thread, and any other Keats lovers that would like to participate, were to send upwards of 100 invites each month, for one month or two, to those that have "Liked" Keats at Facebook, then that might just do the trick. This plan of action turns the tables on the argument which purports that it is social media which has resulted in the demise of this forum, because it recognizes that it is social media which can help to bring new life to this forum. This plan requires those of us that care about this forum, to help return it to its former glory, by investing an hour or so, each month, for one month or two, in order to send to our fellow Keats lovers around the world the winning invitation.

S0, TO THOSE OF YOU reading this post—to those of you whom agree with this plan of action, what information do you suppose such an invitation should include? Short and sweet? A quote or two by Keats? Which quotes? An image file from a painting of Keats? Which portrait of his? Saturn, thou hast already posted in this thread some sound words that can be modified to become an invite—may thy words be used for such an end? To those of you reading this, does your conscience not implore you to speak forth your suggestions?

IF ENOUGH OF US can get started on this now, then we can make a good go of it for a few months so that the coming Spring may be a season to remember, with new members budding forth, and new Keatsian conversations abloom.

WHAT SAY YE? Dare you to participate in such a scheme? Yea, or nay?

From Ravenwing.

[BrokenLyre]

I get overwhelmed with all this - despite some good points that ravenwing makes. It would be great if Thilo were truly involved and helped promote the site somehow. I'm all for promoting Keats. I have tried in my circles - but to no avail.

Ravenwing - you are brimming with ideas - but try as I might, I can't quite carry the idea load you seem to carry. I really do have a very difficult time reading any post longer than 3 paragraphs.
Saturn is right about some people's "busy lives" - I work 65-70 hours/week, have a wife, 4 kids, 1 with special needs, and taking care of 4 cars, with a house that constantly needs work due to the worst winter I have ever seen.

It's 11:48 PM in Buffalo, NY, and I just got home from work. I am not at all complaining - forgive me if it sounds that way - but I love this site and yet I might not get to it for a month or more. Depends on the work load. I think of it often, wish I could do more, but can't. I don't even own a cell phone because I have no time to use it. Think about that for a minute. It's nuts. As for Facebook, forget it.

People's lives are insanely busy - just trying to follow the paperwork on healthcare for a family of six is ridiculous and that's the tip of the bureaucratic nightmare that is America c. 2015. I appreciate your efforts ravenwing (and I sincerely mean no disrespect as you have certainly brought some ideas to the table - more than I have done) - but Saturn's comments definitely ring true for me. Perhaps I am in the minority. It seems that way from previous comments I have read, but I wanted to share my story if only to state that there people who aren't lying when we say we're too flippin' busy to get on this site. I do realize your comments are not directed at me - just general comments, but I wanted to say where I am at these days.

We are all trying our best with the time we have. That's all I can do - and I am thankful for this community - sparse as it may be sometimes.

[Raphael]

Hey guys I couldn't and wouldn't even if I had the power to, take away this place, it's had such an influence in my life I will cling onto as long as it can exist in this form.

What I will say is that I am merely the steward, the caretaker of this place, not a shepherd to herd people here, round them up in any way.

Every one of you reading this has the power to change the discussion, to initiate it, to begin new threads, new areas of exploration.

If you know anyone interested in Keats or poetry and literature point them this way, encourage them to join up and participate.
There can still be a place for forums like this if there is a collective will to keep them going by lively and frequent debates.

Those of you who long for a 19th century forum for discussion perhaps you could [confidentially] swap addresses, write letters, things like that, make your participation seem more 'real'.

I can't withhold the tide of progress, nor would I wish to do so, there is much that is great about the internet and how it has developed in the last 10-15 years but you only get out of it what you decide to put into it.

It doesn't have to be anything about Keats, or poetry or anything else; we have the miscellaneous section for discussions of any kind.

No man [or woman] is an island but nor are a few disparate souls a community. A community can only be forged by interaction and sharing of ideas and thoughts.

There must be plenty of people round the world who like his poems, the Regency period and other poets of this era. People are more into blogging these days- that's where people go and read and post. I have suggested a few times that maybe starting a collective Keats blog might generate some new members.

[BrokenLyre]

Good point Raphael - technology is advancing and changing how communication happens. There are probably many factors that affect this situation.