Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Department
English
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
The poetry of John Keats, a Romantic Era poet who lived from 1795 to 1821, has been widely studied, but most critics have dismissed his use of drugs, specifically opium, to alter his writing. This thesis looks at the scientific effects of opium along with personal accounts of the drug’s use and combines such an investigation with a close reading of Keats’s later poetry to determine what effects opium may have had upon his writing style and content. Particular areas of poetic content include Keats’s sensory imagery and dream-state references.
Advisor(s) or Committee Chair
Dr. Walker Rutledge, Dr. Rob Hale, Dr. Christopher Keller
Disciplines
English Language and Literature
Recommended Citation
Moffitt, Katherine, "Writing Under the Influence: The Effects of Opium on John Keats' Poetry" (2018). Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 735.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/735