Dec 22, 2009

On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer | On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer

At a glance:

Author: John Keats
First Published: 1816
Type of Work: Sonnet
Genres: Poetry, Sonnet
Subjects: Language or languages, Traveling or travelers, Literature, Poetry or poets, Storytelling, Reading, Greek or Roman times, Pacific Ocean, Exploration or explorers

The Poem

“On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” is a sonnet describing the excitement experienced by the narrator upon reading a translation of Homer’s Iliad (c. 800 b.c.e.) by the sixteenth century poet George Chapman. Though it is often unwise to equate the narrator of a poem with the author, in this instance it seems appropriate to assume that John Keats himself is speaking of his own sense of amazement and delight in discovering the joys of reading Homer in such a vibrant English rendition.

The focus throughout the poem is on the feelings engendered...

[The entire page is 1439 words long]

On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer | On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer

At a glance:

The Poem

Join eNotes