"And I would argue that what gives the urn its special status for Keats is precisely whis problem: that the urn "matters" to Keats because of his ignorance about it." (Guetti 386)
I thought this idea that Keats wrote about the urn out of a curiosity of what made it important to the people who created it was important to the understanding of the poem. It definitly gives the reader a different perspective. So many critics seem to have concentrated on what the figures on the urn are trying to tell the reader or what the poet is trying to see in the implications of eternity, that this idea that Keats wrote the poem asking questions of it to get a better understanding of the people who created it takes us into an historical aspect that we may not have looked at before.
Ignorance of something can be in itself a drive for better understanding. Whether or not poet or reader recieved a better understanding is not really the issue, the idea of questioning what we don't understand is really the point. For how can we gain any understanding if we don't question and Keats questions the urn, looking for answers.
Comments (2)
I agree with you. This article was enlightening. I think that Keats was trying to create a story for the urn because story-telling is what writers often do. I thought that this article was very logical, almost obvious, but nobdy picked up on it. Good entry Mara!
Posted by Angela Palumbo | April 14, 2009 8:07 PM
Posted on April 14, 2009 20:07
I like the way you explain Keats's and your idea! I had not thought about how the urn was created and who helped to make its creation possible.
The term "ignorance" is a great way to put it. If we ignore something or do not think about it, then how can we relate or use it in analysis of literature. Interesting...
Good job on your blog!
Posted by Derek Tickle | April 15, 2009 4:23 PM
Posted on April 15, 2009 16:23