John Keats died at a tragically early age， but during his short life he contrib-uted what have become some of the best-known poems in the Englishlanguage， such as Ode to a Nightingale， Ode on a Grecian Urn and ToAutumn.In this new biography of Keats， Stephen Hebron traces Keatss life and devel-opment as a poet， assessing his work in thecontext of the contemporary socialand literary scene. After leaving school Keats worked as an apprentice to anapothecary， and then went on to train as a surgeon. But it was poetry thatdominated his life. He began to ~ve in poetic and artistic circles， countingamong his friends and acqua！nnces Leigh Hunt. Benjamin Robert Haydon.Charles Lamb and Percv Bvsshe Shelley and it was not long before his poetywas published regularly. Despite admiration of him by contemporary literaryfigures， reviewers were not as favourable and in his lifetime the majority of hispoetry met with harsh criticism.Having lost his mother and brother to tuberculosis， Keats knew the signs ofthe illness when he too succumbed. Sent to Italy by his doctor to recuperate，he never returned， dying in Rome aged just 25. His poetry inspired Tennysonand Browning， and the Pre-Raphaelitepainters ranked him on a par with Dante，Homer， Chaucer and Goethe. Today， Keatsis recognised as one of the great poets otthe Romantic. or indeed any age， confir-mation of his own sure assertion： I think Ishall be among the English Poets after mydeath.

“英國作家生平叢書”由外教社從英國大英圖書館出版社引進出版。叢書以圖文並茂的形式講述莎士比亞等14位英國著名作家的生平故事，同時穿插介紹他們的作品，有助於充實讀者對英國文學的認識。叢書的作者均為專業領域裡有著較深造詣的學者，對史料的掌握繫統全面，他們用生動的語言娓娓講述作家生平事跡，點評具體文學作品，書末還附有供讀者進一步閱讀的書單，推薦了有代表性的文獻，對英語專業學生撰寫課程論文或畢業論文很有幫助。叢書內容風趣，插圖精美，文字簡潔，兼顧普及性和專業性，是學習和了解英國文學的良師益友。《約翰·濟慈》全面、繫統地介紹了約翰·濟慈富於傳奇色彩的人生經歷。脈絡清晰、視野廣闊、趣味盎然，內容豐富、資料翔實、圖文並茂、語言流暢、通俗易懂，是一部優秀的人物傳記作品，高校英語專業本科生、研究生以及文學愛好者都能從中獲得啟迪和教益。

Stephen Hebron is publications and exhibitions manager at the Word-sworth Trust in Cumbria. England. He is the co-author of several books andexhibition catalogues， including Romantic Women Writers （with JonathanWordsworth. 1994） John Keats（with RobertWoof. 1995）. and Hyenas in Petticoats： MaryWollstonecraft and Mary， Shelley （with ClaireTomalin and RobertWoof， 1997）. His mostrecent publication is William Wordsworth inthe British Library Writers Lives series（British Library， 2000）.

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EARLY LIFE： 1795-1811
MEDICAL APPRENTICE： 1811-1816
APPRENTICE POET： 1816-1817
ENDYMION： 1817
LONDON： 1817-1818
NORTHERN TOUR： 1818
HYPERION： 1818
WENTWORTH PLACE： 1818-1819
THE ISLE OF WIGHT AND WINCHESTER： 1819
FINAL MONTHS IN ENGLAND： 1819-1820
ITALY： 1820-1821
EPILOGUE
CHRONOLOGY
FURTHER READING
INDEX

Through Reynolds Keats met James Rice, a young lawyer who, thoughincurably ill, had a warm humour and a philosophical outlook that made himparticularly lovable - the most sensible, and even wise Man I know, Keats said.Also through Reynolds he met Benjamin Bailey, an Oxford undergraduate studyingfor ordination. Bailey shared Keatss love of literature, and the two men quicklybecame friends. Towards the end of the summer Bailey invited Keats to spend thesecond half of the vacation with him in Oxford. Keats, whose brothers had just leftfor France to enjoy a holiday at his expense, immediately accepted.
He arrived at Oxford at the beginning of September. Bailey lived atMagdalen Hall, and his rooms had a fine view overlooking the deer park. Keatstook to the ancient university town at once; This Oxford I have no doubt is thefinest City in the world, he wrote to his sister Fanny, it is full of old Gothicbuildings - Spires - towers - Quadrangles - Cloisters Groves &c and is surroundedwith more Clear streams than ever I saw together.

普通中國讀者，包括英語專業的學生，對於英國文學的了解一般隻限於個別經典作品，而對作家其人其事及其整個文學創作情況所知甚少。其中部分的原因是文學史家們編寫的英國文學史往往注重介紹作品的情節內容，對作家的生活經歷、作品的具體創作過程著墨不多。上海外語教育出版社從英國大英圖書館出版社（The British Librarv）引進出版“英國作家生平叢書”，彌補了這方面的缺憾。該叢書以圖文並茂的形式講述莎士比亞等14位英國著名作家的生平故事，同時穿插介紹他們的作品，有助於充實讀者對英國文學的認識。
英國文學源遠流長，經歷了長期復雜的發展演變過程。在這個過程中，文學本體以外的各種現實的、歷史的、政治的、文化的力量對文學發生著影響，而作家個體的獨特生活遭遇也是造就文學傑作的一個重要因素。“英國作家生平叢書”對14位名家的傳記式介紹，充分展示了這一點。戲劇方面，莎士比亞是英國文藝復興時期最傑出的劇作家，他當過演員，其作品思想內容深刻、藝術表現手法精湛，歷經幾個世紀長演不衰。詩歌方面，浪漫主義詩人華茲華斯、柯勒律治、拜倫、濟慈的不同身世對他們的詩歌創作及藝術風格產生深刻影響；維多利亞時代詩人伊麗莎白·巴雷特和羅伯特·布朗寧的愛情故事是英國文壇的一段佳話。小說方面，狄更斯是19世紀英國最偉大的小說家，他的許多小說以孤兒為主人公，這與作家童年時代的一段不幸經歷有關；康拉德來自波蘭，將自己奇特的身世背景和航海經歷交融在字裡行間；女作家奧斯丁、瑪麗·雪萊、勃朗特姐妹、伍爾夫以女性特有的視角和敏銳的觀察描摹人性與社會，思考婦女的生存狀況，她們的小說無論在思想主題、題材表現方面，還是在敘述手法上，都有創新，對推動英國文學的發展作出了突出貢獻。
“英國作家生平叢書”原版由大英圖書館出版社出版，體現出圖書館出版物的特點。書中配有大量的插圖，有些是珍貴的手稿，有些是罕見的照片，有些是博物館或美術館珍藏的油畫和素描，讓讀者有幸一睹作家的風采，產生直觀的感覺。這些插圖帶有不同時代的印記，營造出濃厚的歷史感。叢書的作者均為專業領域裡有著較深造詣的學者，對史料的掌握繫統全面，他們用生動的語言娓娓講述作家生平事跡，點評具體文學作品，書末還附有供讀者進一步閱讀的書單，推薦了有代表性的文獻，對英語專業學生撰寫課程論文或畢業論文很有幫助。
“英國作家生平叢書”內容有趣，插圖精美，文字簡潔，兼顧普及性和專業性，是學習和了解英國文學的良師益友。
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