The Essential Cheatsheet for John Keat’s Bright Star that State-rankers use - Mod A with Concept

Theme 1: Artistry (Keats poetic collection)

Artistry is a common theme in Keats’ poetry, proving in that way his preoccupation with the beauty of art and personal expression. It is important to note that Keats, being a Romantic poet, was greatly influenced by the aestheticism of language and nature, thus capturing it within his work. For Keats, language was the tangible manifestation of beauty and the imagination, and ultimately empowered the poet to achieve transcendental experience and spiritual truth. Apart from this, artistry (i.e. poetry) further became for Keats, the medium through which truth was discovered and greater acumen into the world was rendered. In his poems, the notion of artistry is explored in diverse ways; from portraying the mutability of the changing seasons, to meditating on the paintings on the Grecian Urn. Nonetheless, across all of his works, the theme of artistry, allows the reader (both Romantic and postmodern), to confront, analyse and challenge the context, by evaluating the changing definitions of negative capability and individualism. 

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Bright Star 

In Campion’s biopic, the film itself becomes a cinematic translation of the concept of artistry. It is evident to the audience that Campion very wittily employs art as the background through which she indirectly examines the prevailing issues of societal restrictions, hierarchy, cultural codes and relationships. Thus, by creating very ornate and decorative scenes in the film, Campion establishes a revering atmosphere which arouses the responders’ senses whilst saluting Keats’ artistry. 

On the other hand, it is imperative to mention that Campion escapes the narrow context of Keats’ art, to explore this theme through different lenses, namely film and sewing. By centering on the character of Fanny, Campion draws attention to the contextually feminine art form of embroidery, which brings to the attention of the audience two points: the Romantic codes of conventions which constrict women’s interests, as well as the ability of art to awaken the imagination and act as a testament to liberal personal expression (this is particularly seen through Fanny’s creation of statement fashion pieces with Shakespearean collars). In addition, by utilising the film form, Campion is able to reimagine artistry through a postmodern framework, thus skillfully employing a wide array of film shots and angles to shape meaning (art in this instance, is mainly used as a means of entertainment).  

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Quote/Scene:
“nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite”

Technique:

Keats creates a pastiche of Shakespearean literature in “Bright Star”, manifested through the biblical allusion. 

Analysis: 

This creates a striking image of Romantic expression by echoing the spiritual cathartic qualities of art and nature. This further alludes to Keats’ appreciation of art and his mastery of Romantic idealisation, within his intricately constructed art piece.  

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Quote/Scene:

Keats recites “My heart aches...as though of hemlock I had drunk”  

Technique:

The long shot of Keats in nature writing poetry and the mise en scene reflecting nature as a backdrop with the change of seasons, is a testament to Campion’s artistry and a resonance with his poems (textual conversation/synthesis).  

Analysis: 

The epigraphic allusion to “Ode to a Nightingale” through voiceover, acts as a narrative device which portrays Keats’ concept of negative capability and the imagination as a faculty of spiritual and creative understanding.  

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Quote/Scene:

“To bend with apples...sweet kernel”  

Technique:

Evocative verbs and rich sensory imagery is used.  

Analysis: 

In ‘Ode to Autumn’ the Romantic symbolism of the season of autumn as an analogy for beauty, creates a sense of abundance and fruitfulness which invites the responder to participate in the ambience of bliss, through which, the eternal beauty and artistry of autumn is manifested. Such an aesthetic reflection of Romanticism and valedictory salute to nature is mirrored in the film through artful montages of the seasons (textual conversation/synthesis).  

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Quote/Scene:

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Technique:

Diegetic bird sounds are incorporated in the long shots of the Brawne family and Keats dancing in the woods.

Analysis: 

These echo the sounds of autumn and create a revering atmosphere, which assaults the senses of the responder and aligns with the aestheticism of Keats’ euphonic poetry (textual conversation/synthesis).  

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Quote/Scene:

 “Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, and so live ever—or else swoon to death”.  

Technique:

Anaphora and auditory imagery in describing a state of elation.  

Analysis: 

The iambic pentameter incorporated in the sonnet, creates a melodious rhythm that acts as evidence of Keats’ skill in composing artful poems. In addition, the paradoxical extremities outlined in the last two lines of the sonnet, reflect the Romantic elements of heightened emotions and allows one significant insight into the fine line between illusion and reality.  

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Quote/Scene:

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Technique:

Campion employs a duet of intertwining male and female voices accompanied by cello in the opening of the film.  

Analysis: 

This mirrors the musical quality of Keats’ oeuvre and contributes to the artistry of Keats and Fanny’s world (textual conversation/synthesis).  

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Quote/Scene:

“a flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme”.  

Technique:

Keats’ appreciation of art is evident in the poem ‘Ode On A Grecian Urn’ where the tone of wonder and Romantic idealisation compares the urn to “a flowery tale”.  

Analysis: 

Keats’ mastery in creating a mood of reflection in the poem, is effective in highlighting not only the prominence of the artistic beauty of the tableau, but also in accentuating Keats’ implicit commentary on the artistic value of his oeuvre. 

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Quote/Scene:

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Technique:

The close up shot of a white thread being woven through a virginal white cloth complemented by pleasing extradiegetic sound resonates with the harmony and aestheticism of Keats’ melodic poetry and delineates the film’s artistic qualities.  

Analysis: 

Campion’s inclusion of the art of sewing not only represents the values of the Regency Period with regards to the roles of women but further positions it as a fine art form, as it becomes a metonymy for femininity. 

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Quote/Scene:

 “a close bosom-friend of the maturing sun”  

Technique:

Keats’ elaborate natural imagery in “Ode To Autumn” vividly personifies autumn as a woman.  

Analysis: 

This perfectly captures the beauty of the season, which, similarly to the poet’s fertile mind, is able to produce beautiful works of art. Additionally, the fact that Autumn is portrayed as a woman, mirrors Keats’ effeminate writing style which further engages the readers’ emotions. 

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