Here is the first reliable edition of John Keatsâs complete poems designed expressly for general readers and students.
Upon its publication in 1978, Jack Stillingerâs The Poems of John Keats won exceptionally high praise: âThe definitive Keats,â proclaimed The New RepublicââAn authoritative edition embodying the readings the poet himself most probably intended, prepared by the leading scholar in Keats textual studies.â
Now this scholarship is at last available in a graceful, clear format designed to introduce students and general readers to the ârealâ Keats. In place of the textual apparatus that was essential to scholars, Stillinger here provides helpful explanatory notes. These notes give dates of composition, identify quotations and allusions, gloss names and words not included in the ordinary desk dictionary, and refer the reader to the best critical interpretations of the poems. The new introduction provides central facts about Keatsâs life and career, describes the themes of his best work, and speculates on the causes of his greatness.