Keats’ Sufi Speaker Jumps Back to Reality: An Evaluation of “Ode to Nightingale”
British Journal of Arts and Humanities July 7, 2022 DOI: 10.34104/bjah.0220970106 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Sufism Romanticism Eternity Literature Poetry Faith Afterlife Ode Epistemology Islam Theology |
| Key points | Argues that Keats's "Ode to Nightingale" can be interpreted through Sufi philosophy, revealing a tension between the poet's spiritual longing and his return to material reality. |
Abstract
Sufism predates Romanticism by over 900 years and has an arresting similarity with British Romanticism and American transcendentalism. The faith in an immortal afterlife, the consideration of death as a gateway to eternity, and the belief in the unity of the creator and the creation make the two philosophical genres very close to each other. John Keats, being one of the greatest British romantic poets, has shown numerous occasions where he puts death in a hierarchic position over life, and also describes elements that have eternal nature. Sufism too searches for a greater mystic regardless of the pain and pleasure of the material world. Keats’ “Ode to Nightingale” presents the poet himself having an obsession with the spiritual world of the nightingale but his wish is countered by the sudden return to reality. Hence, through a Sufi evaluation of the ode, the hasty transformation of the poet may be explored. First of all, the definition, origin, and overall practices of Sufism are briefly discussed. Also, how Sufism concurs with other philosophical developments, especially in Europe is also highlighted. Finally, close observation of the poem is made through which the dilemma between Keats’ Sufi and realistic double consciousness is explored.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |