An Analysis of Negative Capability in To Autumn

【Abstract】 Negative capability， one of John Keatss definition， has grown into a complex and multi-faceted concept through Keatss poetic and philosophical elaboration and subsequent scholarly interpretation. A gross summarization of the vast content of negative capability would loosely define the concept as the poets creative ability to expand himself and increase his capacity for understanding. This essay aims at discussing the use， achievement， and the intoxicating satisfaction of negative capability in a poem written by Keats， “To Autumn”.

【Key words】 negative capability； John Keats； To Autumn

【作者簡介】颜坤，北京师范大学。

The Romantic poet John Keats first defined “negative capability” in a letter to his brothers in 1817， although the evidence of this concept had existed in many of Keatss letters and poems before. Keats once stated， “I mean Negative Capability， that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties， mysteries， doubts， without any irritable reaching after fact and reason”. However， through Keatss own poetic and philosophical elaboration and subsequent interpretation， negative capability has grown from an apparent simplicity into a complex and multi-faceted concept.

Negative capability can be defined as the human capacity to remain open to and receptive of the ideas and experiences of the world and to the evolving formation of ones self， so human beings may approach a more complete knowledge of truth. Its value lies in expanding ones self and increase our creative capacity for understanding. On the other hand， it also describes the capacity to suspend especially the foundational certainty of identity. We may experience a “fragmentation of the self，” in which we maintain and attend to multiple threads of reality as we engage in effective practice. It needs ones efforts to recognize， acknowledge， and empathize with the experiences of whatever happens in the surrounding world and to address in ones self. In a nutshell， it describes a poetic capacity to efface ones own mental identity by immersing it sympathetically and spontaneously within the subject described. It also suggests that， when embodied in a beautiful artistic form， the literary subject matter， concepts， and characters are not subject to the ordinary standards of evidence， truth， and morality. In Keats mind， he believed that the poet should subordinate his own identity in order to enable the odes subject to emerge fully.

In To Autumn， the poets obedience of “negative capability” frequently appears. In the first stanza， Keats uses a series of vivid words to depict the harvest season， unfolding a lively panorama before the readers eyes， as if they are experiencing autumn by themselves simultaneously. For instance， to describe “mellow fruitfulness” explicitly， Keats applies a range of expressive verbs like “load”， “bend”， “fill”， “swell”， and “plump”. When seeing these， readers would spontaneously think of watery grapes， apples， gourd and hazel， as well as their luscious ripeness. Some strongly-expressive adjectives like “clammy” would also lead the readers mind to the abundance of honey in the beehive. In the second stanza， Keats shows a picture of harvest by means of personification. Outwardly， we way think the poet uses “thee” to refer to autumn， but actually it represents the subject of the labor—peasants. In this way， the distance between the topic of this poem （autumn） and the reader is evidently shortened. Readers can easily immense themselves in the depicted scene， either “sound asleep” or “sitting careless”. In the third stanza， Keats embodies the picture-like scenery with dozens of onomatopoetic words such as “bleat”， “whistle”， and “twitter”. These pleasant sounds make up a symphony of autumn， giving the reader a great sense of enjoyment.

Throughout the whole three stanzas， Keats unfolds a large picture associated with both dynamic and tranquil images， conveyed by a flexible choice of vocabulary. Readers are indulged in these pleasures so much that they cannot tell the existence of the poet. It is like when we are enjoying a movie or a play， we watch the actors performance， we listen to the actors voices， but we barely notice or think of the director. We linger on and on， for everything in this poem is like what happens in our daily life， and they develop themselves smoothly. From this perspective， Keats hides himself beneath his depiction， explicitly following the rule of “negative capability”， in case that his subjective ideas may disturb the judgment of the readers.