2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

John Keats: An Exploration on Companionship

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Kim Carter-Cram

Abstract

This research paper offers a critical analysis of John Keats’s “Ode to a Nightingale,” further expanding how the Romantic poet displays natural imagery and emotional depth to articulate a complex relationship with human mortality. By building on a foundational essay written in a Literature and Environment course, this project situates Keats’s symbolism of the nightingale, and its transcendency, in relation to Keats’s own personal experience with mortality. The paper argues that the nightingale’s song acts as a way for escape from reality, giving Keats a reprieve from the emotional weight of mortality found within the natural world. To develop this analysis, this project expands on the Romantic literary genre and how the Enlightenment period shaped Keats’s poetic voice. In doing so, the study reviews additions themes from other Romantic texts, displaying his connection to the period’s literary society. Further investigation is done into Keats’s relationships and correspondence to better understand their influence on his creativity.

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