Introduction & Overview of Bright Star! Would I Were as Steadfast as Thou Art by John Keats

Bright Star! Would I Were as Steadfast as Thou Art Introduction

In the summer of 1819 Keats and his friend James Rice left for an extended stay on the Isle of Wight J off the southern coast of England. Keats had spent time alone on the Isle in the spring of 1817, reading Shakespeare and receiving the inspiration that led to the long poem "Endymion" as well as some of his most famous insights about the nature of art. He hoped the 1819 journey would prove equally invigorating, but he was distracted by his troubled love for Fanny Brawne. Keats had met her in December, 1818, but he was having trouble fully committing to their relationship. He wrote several letters to Fanny during his stay on the Isle, and one in particular seems to give insight into "Bright Star! Would I Were Steadfast as Thou Art." In the letter, he writes, "I have two luxuries to brood over in my walks,...
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