John Keble Criticism
John Keble (1792-1866) was a pivotal figure in the Oxford Movement of the 1830s, which posited the Anglican Church as a legitimate branch of the Catholic Church. As a poet, Keble is most celebrated for The Christian Year (1827), a seminal collection of Victorian devotional poetry that illustrates God's presence in nature. The work aligns structurally with the Anglican Book of Common Prayer and utilizes a Wordsworthian perspective on nature as divine revelation. Keble's contributions to the movement extended beyond poetry; he was a prominent clergyman and essayist, known for his sermons and writings on politico-religious themes.
Keble's life began in Gloucestershire, and he enjoyed a scholarly career at Oxford before taking up clerical duties. He became a notable figure in the Anglican Church, known for his National Apostasy Considered in a Sermon (1833), which criticized governmental interference in church matters. His critical and literary theory is encapsulated in De Poeticae vi Medica: Praelectiones Academicae, emphasizing poetry as spiritual catharsis, as examined in Praelectiones Academicae. 1844. Keble's biographical work on a seventeenth-century bishop further illustrates his dedication to ecclesiastical detail.
Though the popularity of his poetry has waned, Keble remains influential in discussions of Tractarian aesthetics, as analyzed by Tractarian Aesthetics: Analogy and Reserve in Keble and Newman. His prose writings are seen as critical to understanding the Oxford Movement, and his devotional verse continues to be valued for its expression of Victorian piety, as noted in The Christian Year. Keble's work has been explored for its alignment with Romantic and Tractarian traditions, highlighting his unique contributions to nineteenth-century religious and literary landscapes.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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A Memoir of the Rev. John Keble, M. A., Late Vicar of Hursley
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Coleridge recounts the early publication history of Keble's The Christian Year.
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Keble
(summary)
In the following essay, Shairp provides a summary of Keble's participation in the Oxford Movement and a critical analysis of The Christian Year.
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Praelectiones Academicae. 1844
(summary)
In the following essay, Warren studies Keble's poetic theory as explicated in his Praelectiones Academicae. Warren observes that for Keble the basic function of poetry is as a psychological and spiritual catharsis.
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Keble and Wordsworth
(summary)
In the following essay, Martin probes William Wordsworth's impact on Keble's poetry.
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The Sacramental Imagination
(summary)
In the following essay, Tennyson discusses the influence of Keble's The Christian Year and Lectures on Poetry in Victorian England.
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Tractarian Aesthetics: Analogy and Reserve in Keble and Newman
(summary)
In the following essay, Tennyson summarizes Tractarian aesthetics and its emphasis on “the religious character of poetry” as exemplified in Keble's verse.
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Keble and The Christian Year
(summary)
In the following essay, Tennyson evaluates the structure and poetic style of The Christian Year, a work he regards as a “practical application of Tractarian poetics.”
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John Keble and the Victorian Churching of Romanticism
(summary)
In the following essay, Gilley considers Keble's place as the leading poet of the Victorian High Church revival.
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Keble and Newman: Tractarian Aesthetics and the Romantic Tradition
(summary)
In the following essay, Goodwin interprets Keble's aesthetic theory in relation to the Romantic Tradition, arguing that Keble's poetry is ignored by that tradition. Goodwin goes on to enumerate areas of divergence in the aesthetics of Keble and of his Tractarian contemporary John Henry Newman.
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The Christian Year
(summary)
In the following essay, Griffin provides a thematic analysis of The Christian Year, explaining the purpose behind Keble's collection of religious poetry.
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A Memoir of the Rev. John Keble, M. A., Late Vicar of Hursley
(summary)
- Further Reading