A Critical Analysis of John Keats' Poem 'To Autumn' - Literature

This essay provides a detailed literary analysis of John Keats' poem 'To Autumn.' The analysis delves into the poem's themes, focusing on the personification of autumn and its portrayal as a season of maturity, beauty, and the acceptance of life's natural cycles. The essay highlights Keats' use of imagery, symbolism, and musicality to convey the essence of autumn. It examines how Keats presents autumn as a friend of the sun, a village woman, and ultimately, a symbol of the passing of time and the beauty inherent in decay. The essay also touches upon the poem's reflection of human experiences, including the interplay of life and death, and the importance of embracing the natural order of things. References from other literary analysis are used to enrich the critical study of the poem.

Running head: LITERARY CRITICISM OF ‘TO AUTUMN’ BY JOHN KEATS
Literary criticism of ‘To Autumn’ by John Keats
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1LITERARY CRITICISM OF ‘TO AUTUMN’ BY JOHN KEATS
‘To Autumn’ is considered the first perfect lyric poem in English language, by the
Romantic poet John Keats. The poem was published in the year 1820 in Keats’s final volume of
poetry known as Keats’s “1819 odes”.
Keats represents the season of autumn in diversified ways. Thus, literary critical study of
the poem would make it relevant to analyze the different layers of the poem reflecting the three
different aspects of the season. The critical study will help to acknowledge the true essence of
the poem by making it more philosophically discussed, evaluated and interpreted.
Analyzing the poem, it is found that the fruitfulness and labor rendered by the season of
autumn are primarily addressed (Khan and Jabeen). Gradually, it succumbs to Keats’ reflection
of the symphony and the charm appeal of autumn with an undertone of maturity and death. The
poem has been presented in a reflective and meditative tone. Thus, it seeks a deep insight to
relate to the different aura of the season. The imagery poem with the essence of music and lyric
embedded in it has made the initial study a very peaceful and pleasant experience.
Autumn is considered the season of loneliness and decay, reflective of approaching old
age and death (Fan). However, analyzing the poem which is an unconventional admiration of the
season, it is very surprising to visualize autumn as a season of rejoice. The poem parallels
autumn with the paradoxes of life observing death and decay with full-fledged maturity. The
interplay of images and melody in the poem with personified autumn as the subject is very
surprising to the reader that makes the study even more interesting.
Personification refers to the type of metaphor used to identify a thing, an animal or an
abstraction with human attributes. In the first stanza, Keats personifies autumn to be an intimate
friend of the sun whose unison is identified as the ripening process in nature. In the next stanza,

2LITERARY CRITICISM OF ‘TO AUTUMN’ BY JOHN KEATS
Keats presents autumn to be a village woman, sitting carelessly on the floor filled with
winnowed grains. Finally, the poet consoles autumn to embrace her own beautiful music instead
of being envious of the sound of spring. All these connotes to the human qualities that autumn
has been ascribed with. Keats beautifully ends the poem personifying the dying day with death.
Keats presents autumn to be a maturing woman whose young vivacity is portrayed in her
intimacy with the sun. She is the mature woman working hard in the field, the peasant who has
the desired harvest and sits to rest in the granary. The poem portrays autumn as the fertile,
charming woman and the maturing process serves to be the key to unveil the deeper meaning of
it. Through the poem, Keats wants to allude to one’s ability to experience, realize, and accept the
true and normal way of life.

3LITERARY CRITICISM OF ‘TO AUTUMN’ BY JOHN KEATS
References:
Fan, Y. A. N. G. "Ode to Autumn, a Song of Beauty!——An Analysis of Keats’ aesthetic
ideas." Journal of Luohe Vocational Technology College 3 (2013): 028.
Khan, Abdul Bari, and Tallat Jabeen. "Stylistics analysis of the poem ‘To Autumn’by John
Keats." International Journal of Academic Research and Reflection 3.1 (2015): 127-137.