STYLISTICS ANALYSIS OF THE POEM ‘TO AUTUMN’ BY JOHN KEATS

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to analyze John Keats’s poem “To Autumn” from the perspective of stylistic analysis.

The stylistics is made under the aspects of graphlogical, grammatical, syntactical, phonological patterns

have also find tropes and schemes that are present in the poem. This paper is helpful to analyze the

structure and style of John Keats poetry and his themes, reviews and treatment of nature and beauty.

Keywords: Style, Stylistics, John Keats, Ode, Autumn, Spring, Summer, Phonological Level,

Grammatical Level, Graphological Level.

INTRODUCTION

Style is a word derived from Latin Word “elocution” which means style and means lexis in Greek. Style

is a broader term. It has various meanings in and outside of the literature .The way of doing something

is style. Broadly, appearance of everything is style. Style is related to person’s personality. A style

reflects the thoughts of a person’s mind. In literature, style is the writer’s voice reflected in their choice

of words, sentence structure and tone of ideas in order to “show “the reader what the writer is intending.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Stylistics is the study and clarification of texts in respect to their linguistic and tonal style. As a

restraint, it associates literary criticism to linguistics. It does not role as an independent area on its

own, and can be applied to an empathetic of literature and journalism as well as linguistics. From

Wikipedia (modified on 15 March 2010), Stylistics is a branch of linguistics, which deals with the

study of varieties of language, its properties, and principles behind choice, dialogue, accent, length

and register. H.G. Widdowson (1986, p.4) defines stylistics as, "The study of literary discourse from a
linguistics orientation. In 2003 Gabriela Miššikova said, Stylistics is a field of study where the method

of selecting and implementing linguistic, extra linguistic or expressive means and devices in the

process of communication are studied.

Short (1996) believes that stylistics is a linguistic approach to study the literary texts. In other words

we can say that stylistics studies literary texts using linguistic description. Short also shows his

interest not only in the (linguistics) forms of he analyzed texts (i.e. How), but he also studies the

meaning (i.e. what) of the text in the sense of plot and overall message of a story.

From this point of view short (1996, p.1) further says, "Stylistics can sometimes look like either

linguistics or literary criticism, depending upon where you are standing where looking at it". "To Leech

(1985) stylistics is the study of the style which can be applied in both literary and non-literary texts. In

a non-literary text, style is learned because we want to explain something, while literary stylistics

explains the relations between language and artistic function.

STYLISTICS

Stylistics is the scientifically the study of style. Different scholars define style in his/her own way at

different time. According to Buffon “Style is the man himself”. According to Widdowson (1975,p.3)

“Stylistics is the study of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation”. In Stylistics point of view,

Stylistics is the systematic study of style, ranging from features of language which can be identified

with an individual to those which identify major occupation groups and those characteristic of

speakers and writers in particular situations (for example, parliamentary style).

BRIEF HISTORY OF STYLISTICS

The analysis of literary style goes back to Classical rhetoric, but modern stylistics has its roots in

Russian Formalism, and the related Prague School, in the early twentieth century.

In 1909, Charles Bally's Traité de stylistique française had proposed stylistics as a distinct academic

discipline to complement Saussurean linguistics. For Bally, Saussure's linguistics by itself couldn't
fully describe the language of personal expression. Bally's program fitted well with the aims of the

Prague School.

Building on the ideas of the Russian Formalists, the Prague School developed the concept of

foregrounding, whereby poetic language stands out from the background of non-literary language by

means of deviation (from the norms of everyday language) or parallelism. According to the Prague

School, the background language isn't fixed, and the relationship between poetic and everyday

language is always shifting.

Roman Jacobson had been an active member of the Russian Formalists and the Prague School, before

immigrating to America in the 1940s. He brought together Russian Formalism and American New

Criticism in his Closing Statement at a conference on stylistics at Indiana University in 1958.

Published as Linguistics and Poetics in 1960, Jakobson's lecture is often credited with being the first

coherent formulation of stylistics, and his argument was that the study of poetic language should be a

sub-branch of linguistics. The poetic function was one of six general functions of language he

described in the lecture.

Michael Halliday is an important figure in the development of British stylistics. His 1971 study

Linguistic Function and Literary Style: An Inquiry into the Language of William Golding's 'The

Inheritors' is a key essay. One of Halliday's contributions has been the use of the term register to

explain the connections between language and its context. For Halliday register is distinct from

dialect. Dialect refers to the habitual language of a particular user in a specific geographical or social

context. Register describes the choices made by the user, choices which depend on three variables:

field ("what the participants... are actually engaged in doing", for instance, discussing a specific

subject or topic), tenor (who is taking part in the exchange) and mode (the use to which the language

is being put).

Fowler comments that different fields produce different language, most obviously at the level of

vocabulary (Fowler. 1996, 192) The linguist David Crystal points out that Halliday’s ‘tenor’ stands as

a roughly equivalent term for ‘style’, which is a more specific alternative used by linguists to avoid
ambiguity. (Crystal. 1985, 292) Halliday’s third category, mode, is what he refers to as the symbolic

organization of the situation. Downes recognizes two distinct aspects within the category of mode and

suggests that not only does it describe the relation to the medium: written, spoken, and so on, but also

describes the genre of the text. (Downes. 1998, 316) Halliday refers to genre as pre-coded language,

language that has not simply been used before, but that predetermines the selection of textual

meanings. The linguist William Downes makes the point that the principal characteristic of register,

no matter how peculiar or diverse, is that it is obvious and immediately recognisable. (Downes. 1998,

309)

TYPES OF STYLISTICS

Undoubtedly there may be as many types of style as is the number of persons. However, there are

common traits

which call upon thinking of types of style. Based upon different norms and contexts, Style can be

classified as under-

a. Formal-informal style

which can be further classified as intimate-non-intimate depending on the relations between two or

more persons.

b. Old-modern style

which can be further divided into many groups or many sub types e.g.. Modem style has so far

developed as post-modem and again post-post modem.

c. Works of different natures have also their own styles VIZ. classical, neoclassical, romantic,

metaphysical, existential,

psychoanalytical, classical, satirical, etc.

d. Regional style are also identifiable such as British, American, African, Indian etc.
e. Philosophical, Scientific, religious, historical styles are based on the subject matter Literary styles

and non-literary

styles are very popular.

f. Elegant, lucid, rustic archaic are some of the styles depending upon the effect on the readers.

g. Different genres have their own styles such as prose style, dramatic style, poetic style, fictional

style etc.

h. Different languages also have their own styles for e.g. English style, French style, Greek style,

Latin style etc.

1. Allegorical style is also one of most effective modes of style.

In brief, it's very difficult to delineate all types of style and ultimately it is wise to say that style is not

a static entity rather it is a dynamic one which goes on changing according to the need of situation.

Not only this but also it takes its shape in different readers as the impression or effect on them. The

same work read by the same person at different times implants differently and therefore the dynamics

of style is there forever.

LEVELS OF STYLISTICS

GRAPOHOLOGY

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “the study of handwriting, for example as a

way of learning more about somebody’s character”. Simply we say that graphology deals with

writing system e.g.: uses of Capitalization, punctuation marks, bold italics etc.

PHONOLOGY

According to Bloomfield, “Phonology is the organization of sounds into patterns”. In more simple

sense, “the study of sounds in a language is called phonology”. Phonology is the study of vocal

sounds and sound changes, phonemes and their variants in a particular language. What is sound? How

and where it is produced from? How it received by the ears? How and why is one sound different
from the other? ___ questions these are the subject-matter of phonology. Every language makes its

own selection of sounds and organizes them into characteristic patterns. This selection of sounds and

their agreement into patterns constitute the phonology of the language.

MORPHOLOGY

Mark and Kirsten 2005, p.1) said that, “Morphology refers to the mental system involved in word

formation and how they are formed”. Bloomfield calls it the study of the constructions in which

bound forms appear among the constituents.

SYNATAX

The word syntax is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘ordering together’, ‘systematic

arrangement’, or ‘putting together’. It is the study of sentence building, of the ways in which words

are arranged together in order to make larger units. A syntactic analysis is generally concerned with

sentences and the constituents of sentences. Briefly speaking, syntax is the grammar of sentences; it is

the science of sentence construction. ‘It is perhaps best to define syntax negatively, as the study of the

combinations of such morphemes as are not bound on the levels of either inflection or derivation’

(Robert A Hall, 1969 : 91). By this definition, most of the elements involved in syntactical

combinations will indeed be free, but some will be pharasally or clausally bound.

Semantics

According to David Crystal, “Semantics is the study of meaning”. Semantics is also called

“semasiology”. It is the branch of linguistics concerned with meaning. It deals with the study of

meaning, changes in meaning, and the principles that govern the relationship between sentences or

words and their meanings.

METHODS OF STYLISTICS

Methodology defines the approach of science to the object of investigation and specifies its general

orientation in a research. The most traditional method of stylistics is the method of semantico-stylistic

analysis (stylistic analysis). This method aims at defining the correlation between language means
employed for expressive conveyance of intellectual, emotional or aesthetic content of speech (or text)

and the content of information. The comparative method is considered to be the nucleus of the

stylistic analysis method. To make the speech more effective speakers constantly select definite

language means from a set of synonymous units. These language means have the best stylistic effect

only in comparison with other language means which are either less expressive or neutral in the given

context. The method of stylistic experiment lies in substitution of the writer‘s words, utterances or

constructions for new ones with the stylistic aim. With the help of this method it is possible to

characterize the stylistic properties of the writer‘s text and approve of the substituted units stylistic

possibilities. This method was extensively used by such scholars as L. Shcherba, O. Peshkovskyi, L.

Bulahovskyi. The quantitative method consists in defining the quantitative properties of a language

phenomenon. Using the quantitative data and specific calculations the statistic method aims at

distinguishing peculiarities and regularities of language units functioning that can differentiate

individual or functional styles. It establishes the statistic parameters of the analyzed text or texts.

These parameters provide reliable and objective data for stylistic analysis.

DIFFERENT APPROACHES OF STYLISTICS

An approach is a school of thought which postulates how we can analyse the style of a given oral or

written text in any of the four senses above: that of the individual, group, literary work or packaging

for effective communication. There are at least six provisions at disposal as the approaches, which

summarily include the following:

i) Analysing style by trying to infer the central thought behind the utterances and expressions.

ii) Considering style as a choice from all possible alternatives.

iii) Looking at style as individual attributes of the speaker/writer.

iv) Analysing style depending on the context in which it appears.

v) Analysing style as special usage of language, in contrast to the general usage.

vi) Analysing style as a set of collective characteristics of the text.

DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF STYLISTICS

Here are four of the most well-known linguistic schools of thought:

1. Functionalism

This first school of thought focuses on how language is actually used in everyday life. Those who

abide by functionalism look at language as just another tool for humans to use, and thus tend to focus

on the function language and its different parts have in our lives. The theories of functionalism focus

on phonological, semantic, syntactic, as well as the pragmatic functions of language. Functionalism

emphasizes the importance of social context, usage, and the communicative function of the grammar,

phonology, orthography, and more, of a language.

2. Structuralism

Based on the work of Ferdinand de Saussure of Switzerland, structuralism is an approach to

linguistics that focuses on the idea that languages are fixed systems made up of many different units

that connect with each other. This school of thought marked a shift from historical linguistic analysis

to non-historical analysis. Later on, other linguists would come to see structuralism as rather out-of-

date. It worked for phonology and morphology, but the theories it proposes don’t make as much sense

as the ones proposed by new schools of thought. Saussure was aware of the fact that, in his time, he

would not be able to get a good understanding of the human brain, and so left that to future linguists.

3. Generativism

The work of Noam Chomsky became the basis for the generativism approach to linguistics. It was

originally a way to explain how humans acquire language in the first place, but soon it came to be

used to explain the different phenomena that occur in all natural languages. The generative theory of

language suggests that, in its most basic form, language is made up of certain rules that apply to all

humans and all languages. This led to the theory of “universal grammar”, that all humans are capable

of learning grammar. All of this was developed in the second half of the 20th century, with Noam

Chomsky taking into account the work of Zellig Harris as well.

4. Cognitivism

The last linguistic school of thought on our list emerged in the 1950s as a reaction to generativism. In

basic terms, cognitivism says that language emerges from human cognitive processes. It challenges

“universal grammar” by suggesting that grammar is not something that all humans can inherently

understand, but rather it is learned by using language. In this sense, it is a bit similar to functionalism.

However, the main focus of cognitivism is how language is based on meaning that the mind creates.

Objectives of the Study

1. To know about Keats’s sensuousness.

2. To know about themes in Keats’s poem, “To Autumn”

3. To know the purpose of writing of Keats’s poetry.

4. To analyze stylistics devices of Keats’s poetry through “To Autumn”.

Bibliography of the Poet

John Keats (1795-1821) is a well known English Poet of nineteenth century. He shines singularly out

among the galaxy of such great poets of his centuries as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Byron,

Tennyson, Browning and Arnold although he got the least long age (only 25 Years) among all of them.

Though that small age he was destined to live, he wrote a good number of such poems without which

no anthology of English poetry is ever completed.”Ode to Nightingale”, “ To Autumn”, ”Ode on a

Grecian Urn and “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” are known and remembered for their unmatched eloquent

expression and sublimity .He writes about love and beauty in a very sweet sensuous manner.

Important Features of Keats’ Poetry

He is romantic poet. Keats is generally known as a poet of beauty. For him the principle of beauty has

a spiritual existence. Keats sees and visualized beauty through his five senses.

Another feature of his poetry is sensuousness. He takes sensuous delight in all focus of beauty. His

Poetry is replete with sweet audio and visual, Images. He is also called Hellenist, He loves Greek

Culture and Literature, and therefore he continues to spread Greek culture through poetry.

Introduction to the Poem

To Autumn has only three well knit and tightly –woven stanzas that tell about autumn and its activities.

The first stanza tells about the beauty and bounty of the autumn season with its vines full of grapes, the

apple ripe, the gourd fat, and hazels with sweet kernels. Then the poet tells about the busy bees

suggesting sweet honey. The who be scene is full of ripeness and each line ,in itself ,is like a branch of

a fruit tree fully laden and hanging down due to the weight of its juicy fruit.

The second stanza depicts certain very typical scenes of autumn. It gives some of the most vivid pictures

in English poetry. Keats pictorial quality is really at its zenith in this stanza. We see autumn season as

a being, personification. We see reaping, Winnowing and gleaning and the autumn itself seen doing all

these seasonal activities.

The third stanza tells us about different audio of autumn season. We hear the choir of gnats, the beatings

of lambs, the songs of cricket, the whistling of redbreasts, the twittering of swallows and like the first

and second stanza is rich in their visual effects whereas this third stanza is rich in Audio effect. There

is a complete and ripe picture of autumn season in this poem.

Themes:

There are five main themes of the poem ‘’To Autumn’’.

1. Man and the Natural World

2. Time

3. Awe and Amazement

4. Transformation

5. Mortality

Man and the Natural World

There's a lot more to say about this poem besides the fact that it's a "nature poem." By itself, the term

"nature poem" does not tell us much. "To Autumn" contains very specific natural landscapes and

images. The first stanza offers images of the interaction between humans and the plants that surround

them. The second describes the production of agriculture, a natural process that is controlled by people.

The third stanza moves outside of the human perspective to include things that are not used or consumed
by humans, such as gnats and swallows. This third section captures some of the "wildness" and

unpredictability Top of Form.

Time

We don't think it's a coincidence that "To Autumn" mentions autumn and spring, but not winter. Keats

doesn't want to dwell on the cold days to come. To appreciate autumn, we need to forget about how

each passing day seems a little shorter and chillier. For the most part, the speaker stays focused on the

present moment, just like the personified figure of autumn, who doesn't seem to have a care in the world.

Nonetheless, the poem moves forward in subtle ways. The natural world is at the peak of sunlight and

ripeness in the first stanza, and by the third stanza the sun is setting.

Awe and Amazement

This ode is almost like a pep talk delivered to autumn. The speaker knows that autumn often gets short

shrift in the catalogue of seasons, so he reminds her (and, maybe, himself) of its many wonders: the

bounty of the harvest, the dropping of seeds that will become next year's flowers, and the symphony of

sights and sounds at sunset. Strangely, autumn herself seems blissfully unaware of any need to be

praised or appreciated by anyone. She wanders through the scenery and examines her work without

concern or urgency.

Transformation

Autumn is the time of transformation between the growth of summer and the dormancy of winter.

Things are winding down, and once the harvest is complete, there is nothing left to do but wait until the
next season. Much of the transformation in the poem occurs between stanzas. For example, in the first

stanza fruits and gourds are swelling outward before they will be picked for food. By the second stanza,

the harvest is already complete, or mostly complete, and the ripe apples have been turned into rich,

delicious cider. The third stanza focuses only on one transformative event, the setting of sun.

Mortality

Autumn is frequently used as a symbol in literature for old age, the time before death, symbolized by

winter. "To Autumn" avoids any super-obvious references to death, but we do get some subtle ones,

like the oblivious bees that think the summer will last forever, or the "hook" that spares the poppy

flowers from their inevitable end. As the day begins to "die" in the final section, the entire landscape

contributes to the song of mourning.

METHODOLOGY

This section will provide a stylistic analysis of the poem 'To Autumn of John Keats'. The syntactic

patterns and choices, phonological, graphological and morphological levels of analysis are going to

form the basis of the analysis.

Stylistics Analysis of the Poem What’s up With the Title? "To Autumn" seems to be missing a key

word when compared to Keats's other Great Odes: the word "ode." You would expect the title to be,

"Ode to Autumn," but maybe Keats felt confident that he had this whole ode thing down and could just

use a shorthand. However, "To Autumn" seems to change the meaning, "To Autumn." Or Keats could
merely be helping us understand whom the speaker is addressing. Whatever your explanation, "To

Autumn" stands out as a title among Keats's odes.

“Ode”

An ode is a kind of poem, usually praising something. It is a form of lyric poetry-expressing emotion

and it is usually addressed to someone or something or it represents the poet’s message on that person

or thing, as Keats ‘ode’ tells us what he thought about autumn. The word ‘ode’ comes from a Greek

word for”song” and like a song; an ode is made up of verses and can have a complex meter.

There are three types of Ode:

1. Pindaric Ode

Pindaric Ode is named after Pindar. They were performed with dances and chows and sometimes

celebrated the Olympics games.

2. Horatian Ode

The Horatain Ode was named after the Roman poet, Horace. It was usually calmer and less formal than

Pindaric Ode and was more personal enjoyment than a stage performance.

3. Irregular Ode
Author of the irregular Ode will retain some of the elements of an Ode, but have the freedom of

experiment. Ode to autumn is an irregular Ode.

Graphlogical Level

i. It has three well knit and tightly woven stanzas. ii. The poem is rich in imaginary. iii. It is an Ode. iv.

There is usual capitalization. v. We can see the use of punctuation in the poem.

For example: Full stop, Comma, Colon, Semi-Colon, Hyphen, Sign of question mark is used in the

poem.

Lexical Level

Verb Gerund Adjective Adverb

Load, Bless, Twined Round, Watches Swell, Bloom Plump, Baread Set, Think, Mourn Cease, Sink

Maturing, Live Conspiring, Die Loading, Bleat Seek, Whistles Soft, Lifted, Twitter Winnowing,

Drowsed

Maturing Conspiring Winnowing Oozing Sinking

Sweet More Warm Mellow Close Bosom Maturing Ripeness Patient Look Warm day Winnowing wind

Barred Clouds Soft Dying Day Wailful Choir

Aboard Careless A lot Loud

Grammatical Level
Use of Punctuation, Use of Question Mark and Question Mark is used in 2nd and 3rd Stanza .It shows

that the poet suggests the people who want to see autumn season. They can see the reaping, Winnowing

and gleaning. In the third stanza, Question Mark is also used. It shows wonder and suspense of the poet.

The poet is wondered about the disappearance of spring and its beauty and surprised that autumn has

maintained the beauty of Earth.

Noun Pro Noun Common Noun Proper Noun Collective Noun

Autumn Sun , Lilly Bourn Apples, Cricket Fruit,Red breast Flower,Swallow Trees, Sky Ground, Wind

Bees Wind Summer Furrow Floor Wind, Gleaner Poppies ,Vines Brook, Thatch Spring, Eves Clouds,

Kernel Grants ,Wind River ,Muistor

Him They Who Thee Them Thy

Fruits Vines Trees Cottage Days Flower Floor Brook Wind Garden Bees Press Hill Granites Clouds

Glance

The Gourd The River Swallows The Red Breast Summer Spring Autumn Sky Sun Light Wind Rosy,

hue Winnowing

Bees Swath Claming,Cells

International Journal of Academic Research and Reflection Vol. 3, No. 1, 2015 ISSN 2309-0405

Progressive Academic Publishing, UK Page 133 www.idpublications.org

Use of full stop: Poet uses stop four times in the poem. Each full stop shows completion.

1-Firstly, the poet describes about the maturing of the season in the first line of the poem. Keats sees it

as still pause in time when everything has reached fruition and ripeness is all.
2- Secondly, the poet uses full stop at the end of the first stanza. It shows completion of activities of

autumn season. Honey bees fill their clammy cells.

3- Thirdly, in the last line of second stanzas the use of full stop shows completion of second stanza as

well as completion of activities of human being in autumn season.

4- Fourthly, at the end of the poem, the use of full stop shows that the poem is ended here.

Phonological Level

“To Autumn” is written in a three stanza structure with a variable rhyme scheme. Each stanza is eleven

lines long and each is metered in relatively precise iambic pentameter. In terms of both thematic

organization and rhyme scheme. Each stanza is divided roughly into 2 parts. In each stanza, the first

part is made up of the first 4 lines of stanza and 2nd part is made up of the last seven lines. The first

part of each stanza follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, the first line rhyming with the third and the second

line rhyming with the fourth.

The second part of each stanza is longer and varies in rhyme scheme: The first stanza is arranged CDE

DCCE and the second and third stanza are arranged CDECDDE.

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of at least two words in line poetry is called alliteration.

Examples: mist, mellow, songs, spring, full, fruit, hour by hours, winnowing wind.
Stylistics devices in the poem “To Autumn”

A stylistic device is a particular characteristic of a text that makes it distinctive in some way. Stylistics

devices include such things as imagery ,diction, sound devices includes such things as imagery,

dictations, sound devices, symbol, tone, mood personification, schemes, tropes, form or theme. Literary

devices are divided into two groups: Schemes and Tropes.

Schemes: Schemes are literary devices that deal with letters, words syntax and sounds rather than

meaning of the word. Tropes: Tropes are literary devices having meaning different from their literal

meanings. Antithesis: A scheme in which contrasting words, phrases, sentences or ideas are used for

emphasis. For example: lives and dies. Metaphor: A troop in which a word or phrase is transfused from

its literal meaning to stand for something else. A metaphor compares two objects or things without

using the words like “like” or “as”. For Example: close bosom friend, soft dying day. Simile: A troop

in which comparison is introduced by using the words “like” or “as”. “Like a gleaner”, “as the light

wind.”

Symbol: An object that stands for points to and shares in a significant reality over and beyond it. For

Example: “Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. Personification: Trope in which human qualities

or abilities are assigned to abstraction or inanimate object is called personification. In this poem, author

has personified the autumn under four forms of the season.

1-Firstly, as a harvester sitting carelessly on the granary floor during winnowing. 2-Secondly, as a tired

reaper fallen asleep in the very midst of his reaping. 3-Thirdly, as a gleaner following his work home

across a brook in the evening with a load of sheaves on his head. 4- Lastly, as it represented as a cyder

press watching intently the press squeezes juice out of fruits. Imagery:
Imagery

Imagery is a figure of speech or vivid description which appeals to the 5 senses. There are 2 types of

imagery. 1-Visual 2- Auditory “To Autumn” is a masterpiece of the imagery. Here I find one image

coming after the other in quick secession, and every image is sublime, super and unique. I can feel and

see all what Keats sees and feels. Keats uses both audio and visual images.

Visual Images

“To Autumn” ‘the maturing’, the vines that round the thatch eves sun”, “the mossed cottage- trees”.

lending fully with the load of “Apples”, the swelling “gourd”, ”the hazal shells” becoming “plumps”

with a sweet kernel “the later flowers” assuring the bees that “warm days will never cease “because

“summer has over brimmed their clammy cells” such beautiful and live images are found in the very

first stanza. In the 2nd stanza the poet takes a leap forward and personified the autumn through different

images in person doing different things. Sometimes we see the autumn, “sitting careless on granary

floor” with hair soft lifted by the winnowing wind “.At other times we see her” on a half-reaped” furrow

sound “asleep” because she is “drowsed” with the fume of poppies” and her sicks is sparing,” the next

swath and its entwined flowers”. Sometimes we see her in the shape of “gleaner” keeping steady her

“laden head across a brook”. And a very –alluring picture ends the stanza when we see autumn standing

“by a ayder –press, with patient book” watching “the lastoozings hours by hours”.

Audial Imagery
In the 3rd stanza we hear the songs and music of autumn. We hear the “barred clouds bloom the soft

dying day. And touch the stubble-plains with rosy line” “we hear the “willful choir” of the small gnats,

mourning “. We hear “full grown lambs loud least from hilly bourn”. Similarly we hear as “hedge-

crickets sing” and gathering swallows twitter”. And mind you, this is all the images of one master pieces

of Keats i.e. to autumn.

International Journal of Academic Research and Reflection Vol. 3, No. 1, 2015 ISSN 2309-0405

Progressive Academic Publishing, UK Page 135 www.idpublications.org

Diction

The word choices made by a writer can be described as Formal Semiformal Ornate Informal

Technical Slang

Keats’s diction is medieval, archaic and classic.

Tone Tone is the poet’s attitude towards his or her subject or readers. It is similar to tone of voice but

should not be confused with mood or atmosphere. An author’s tone might be sarcastic, sincere,

humorous, melancholic etc.

In this poem the author’s tone is romantic. His choice of words shows his love of nature, love of beauty,

imagination, love of past and wearied sadness. Keats’s attitude is quite optimistic and positive.

Atmosphere
The overall feeling of a work which is related to tone and mood. In the Ode to autumn, everything here

is simple, direct and clear. The poem is pervaded throughout by a mood of serene tranquility.

CONCLUSION

“To Autumn” is most objective and impersonal. The theme of the poem is fulfillment and through the

richness of images, the poet has prolonged its fulfillment. It is most satisfying in thought and expression.

The first line of the ode shows autumn in the abstract but the second reveals the germ of personification

which is amplified in the beautiful pictures and convey to us the ripeness of autumn. In the second

stanza we find different pictures of the season harvester, the reaper, the gleaner and the aider marks. All

personify autumn. The third stanza reproduces symphony the season sounds. This poem shows that

Keats posses all the romantic traits-love of nature, beauty and imagination. This poem is rich in

sensuous imagery.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank to Allah Almighty from the core of my heart who make me able and help me do this work. I

may my profound and unreserved gratitude to my teacher Sir Abdul Bari Khan who guided me and put

me thought in the course of writing. His co-operation, help and effort towards the success of this long

analysis is not measureable. I am also thankful to my parents. Without their love, I am nothing. Just

because of them, I am here. You are great. Your concern has a lot of contribution for success of this

work.

REFERENCES

Revised edition, New York: Oxford University Press, 1966; revised again, Cambridge,
Sidney Colvin, John Keats: His Life and Poetry ... (London: Macmillan / New York:

Scribners, 1917).

Hyder Edward Rollins, ed., The Keats Circle: Letters and Papers and More Letters and

Papers of the Keats Circle, revised edition, 2 volumes (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard

University Press, 1965).

Claude Lee Finney, Evolution of Keats's Poetry, 2 volumes (Cambridge, Mass.:

Harvard University Press, 1936).

Newell F. Ford, The Prefigurative Imagination of John Keats, Stanford Studies in

Language and Literature (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1951).

G. S. Fraser, ed., John Keats: The Odes: A Casebook, (London: Macmillan, 1971).

Kenneth Muir, ed., John Keats: A Reassessment (Liverpool: Liverpool University

Press, 1958).

David Perkins, The Quest for Permanence: The Symbolism of Wordsworth, Shelley, and

Keats (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1959).

Studies in Romanticism, Keats: A Special Issue, 26 (Spring 1987).

Helen Vendler, The Odes of John Keats (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press,

1983).

Susan Wolfson, The Questioning Presence: Wordsworth, Keats, and the Interrogative

Mode in Romantic Poetry (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1986).