Letters to Fawny Brawne

Ashlee Wygonik

English 015

September 25, 2006

Did you ever contemplate over the idea of killing yourself for love? In John Keats Letters to Fanny Brawne, he displays such a strong love for Fanny Brawne that he would die for her. He struggled with the disease tuberculosis, which made him look for a premature death. At times in his letters, his sickness over shadowed his words of love which made him become possessive and greedy for Fanny. His infatuation with love and death seemed to overlap each other in a way that if he could not have his love he would rather die than be tormented by lonesomeness. All throughout Keats letters he makes references to the most important aspects in his life, love and death.

Fanny was portrayed as being flirtatious and heartless when it came to Keats. Obviously she did not feel the same feelings for Keats as he did for her. Her beauty tormented him in every way that he could not even read a book without thinking of her lusciousness. Although, that’s all Keats might have been in love with, her beauty. Several times he refers to her beauty and how he can bring her “…swooning admiration of your Beauty” (Keats. 104). To the reader, it seemed that he did not love her for her personality because he never mentioned anything about her other than her beauty, “…since without that I could never have lov’d you” (Keats. 103). Keats becomes troubled a couple times because he expresses his deepest love for her in his letters, but she does not feel the same way. This becomes clear when he asks her to read over his letters and consider if the person who wrote them can tolerate the agonies and uncertainties which she created.

Another example that she does not have the same feelings is at the signoff of one of the letters “I kiss you-O the torment!” (Keats. 107). He is tormented and distressed by the lack of love she has for him. So much anguish that death looks more pleasurable than being with someone who does not love him.

“I could be martyrd’d for my Religion- Love is my religion- I could die for that. I could die for you.” (Keats. 105). This statement clearly illustrates that he would go as far as killing himself for his love, Fanny. As the letters continue, more of his love turns into greediness and selfishness causing him to refer to death more frequently. In one letter he shows how possessive he is of her love and death “I have two luxuries to brood over in my walks, your Loveliness and the hour of my death. O that I could have possession of them both...” (Keats.105). His sickness tends to flow from his body to the paper because he becomes so selfish of his love that he could not exist or breathe with out Fanny. As the reader continues to read on in his letters, death becomes clearer. He leans away from telling her of her beauty and explains that “I am literally worn to death, which seems my only recourse.” (Keats.107), and coming right out and saying that “I do not want to live…”