Keats' life and literary work

Keats, Tennyson & Rossetti float

Nineteenth century literature was characterized by its subsistence to themes delving into human emotions and feelings. Focus on the subjective self was especially apparent in poetry, wherein the works of John Keats, Alfred Tennyson, and Christina Rossetti. In each poet's work, there was evidence of emotional contemplation about the significance of human existence in the world, a line of thinking that was mainly religious and a reflection specifically of Christianity.

In Keats' "The vale of soul-making," he expressed his Christian thoughts on the significance of the individual in the midst of the intellectual development happening in his society during the 19th century. In it, he emphasized that Soul is distinct from and of greater essence than Intellect; this belief stemmed from Keats' belief that Intellect is just one of the elements that make up the individual. That is, one must have Intellect, Heart, and Soul to truly become a meaningful being in the world. Intellect is just an instrument through which the Soul emerges and develops: "Do you not see how necessary a World of Pains and troubles is to school an Intelligence and make it a Soul?" Meanwhile, Tennyson, in his poem "In memoriam," centered on the importance of humility as well, although he did not equate with Intellect the importance of the Spirit or Soul. For Tennyson, intellect is nothing without humility and faith in God, a similar condition expressed in Keats' discourse: "We have but faith: we cannot know; for knowledge is of things we see and yet we trust it comes from thee..." Rossetti shared Tennyson's humble and faithful belief in God, although, as illustrated in the poem "A Better Resurrection," she proved herself incapable of considering herself as worthy of God's grace and forgiveness. Nevertheless, like Tennyson, the poem was created in honor of God and the inherent goodness of the human soul.