Keats and Fanny: A Story of A Love So Doomed

John Keats is known as one of the most influential and pictorial poets, not recognized while still active, but unfortunately after death. In his works he often discusses the downsides of love and the misery it brings along. Such depiction connected to his love to Fanny is obliquely mentioned in his poem "Bright star" and directly reflected in his letters to her and the last poem he wrote before he died, titled "To Fanny".

According to many collections based on Keats' letters, poems and other works, the poet and Fanny Brawne met at Wentworth Place in October or November 1818. Though in the beginning he was repelled by Brawne’s immature and careless behavior, shrewishness, and concrete positions on diverse topics, Keats was drawn to her beauty and consequently developed a deep love for her. They started seeing each other and soon enough Fanny's mother found out about their secret relationship and henceforward forgave her to ever get in touch with Keats again.

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever—or else swoon to death.

This excerpt from Keats' poem "Bright star" clearly reflects his understanding of his love to Fanny: he will either "hear her tender-taken breath" or else "swoon to death". It can be argued whether it was written for Fanny exactly, of course. However, his letters, as well as his poem "To Fanny", serve as ultimate proof to that "Bright star" portrays his love not just to somebody, but to Fanny herself:

Yourself—your soul—in pity give me all,
Withhold no atom’s atom or I die,
Or living on perhaps, your wretched thrall...

As seen above, the love of John Keats to Fanny can undoubtedly be proven to be doomed simply by carefully observing Keats' melodious juxtapositions and detailed descriptions. His letters, his poems, and his life