International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61 Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com) REPRESENTATION OF NATURAL WORLD IN KEATS‟S “ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE” Lok Raj Sharma Associate Professor of English Head of Faculty of Education Makawanpur Multiple Campus, Hetauda, Nepal Abstract - The prime objective of this article Nature carries a great symbolic significance is to explore the representations of the natural in creative writings. world as presented in one of the famous odes “Ode to a Nightingale" is a romantic poem of Keats‟s “Ode to a Nightingale” published composed by John Keats (1795-1821), who in 1819. This paper seeks to analyze this ode was a great romantic poet. “Ode to a from the Ecocritical Perspective which deals Nightingale" is one of the most highly with the study of man's relationships with his admired regular odes in English literature. It physical environment along with his reveals Keats's keen imaginative faculty, perception and conception of it. This article heightened sensibility and those aesthetic concludes that nature plays a very prominent qualities for which Keats is much well- role to generate sheer pleasure in man. The known. He was one of the greatest lovers and nature is represented as an active force, admirers of nature. His love of nature was whereas persons are represented as positively solely sumptuous and he cherished the beneficialized entities. This article is expected gorgeous sights and scenes of nature. to be significant to those who are involved in The article writer has attempted to teaching and learning ecocriticism. explore the nature in the ode, and its influences on the poetic persona. The poet Keywords- Ecocriticism, Nightingale, Ode, says that the nightingale sings a song and he Representation is taken by its melody into a state of half- painful and half-delicious sensation. The poet I. INTRODUCTION begins by describing the effect produced on him by the song of the nightingale. It is like a We reside in the lap of nature. We see a magic charm cast on him. great deal of natural substances and natural phenomena influencing us pleasantly or A. Objective of the Article unpleasantly every day. The influences of The fundamental objective of this article is to nature tend to give birth to diverse feelings, explore the representations of natural world in emotions, opinions and revelations in us. Keats‟s poem “Ode to a Nightingale”. Creative and imaginative persons present their perceptions and conceptions of nature II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE in their writings. They make others feel and realize nature through their work of art and Review of literature involves definition of literature. They make use of nature as a ode, features of ode, concept of ecocriticism device to project their feelings, emotions and presentation of nature in the ode. and attitudes. Varied writers view nature from diverse perspectives according to their A. Ode places, surroundings, backgrounds, The ode, which is of Greek origin, means a preferences, education, professions, ages poem written to be recited to the and so on. Some take nature as a source of accompaniment of music. It is a serious and pleasure; some take it as a source of dignified composition almost always in inspiration and revelation; some take it as a rhyme. It is longer than the lyric proper. It is dynamic force, some take it as a kind entity; often in the form of an address. It is a long and some take it as an ugly and dull entity. lyric serious in subject, elevated in style and elaborate in stanzaic structure. “Ode” is a 53 International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61 Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com) lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and C. Main Features of Ode complexity of stanza forms. Its stanza forms The basic features of ode are as follows: vary. Cuddon (1999) considers ode as “a The dignified subject matter. grand poem; a full dress poem.” Abrams The ode is generally in the form of (1993) views that “ode is a long lyric poem an address. that is serious in subject and treatments, Leisurely slow-winding movement. elevated in style, and elaborate in its stanzaic Over-elaboration and spacious structure.” Lennard (2010) defines ode as “a planning. formal, stately, or grand poem of some Subjective expression length.” Harmon(1991) assumes ode as “a Musicality. single, unified, strain of exalted lyrical verse, It is longer than a lyric proper. directed to a single purpose, and dealing with one theme.” D. Examining the Features of Ode in “Ode to the Nightingale” B. Forms of Ode “Ode to the Nightingale” is an ode in which There are primarily three forms of ode. They the speaker addresses the nightingale which are: he considers to be carefree, immortal and 1. The Dorian or Pindaric ode (Greek happy. This poem deals with the dignified poet Pindar 522-448 BC) subject matter: transience of the human life or 2. The Lesbian or Horatian ode ( Latin the mortality of the human life or suffering in poet Horace 65-8 BC) the human life. Therefore the speaker likes to 3. Irregular or Cowleyan ode (poet escape from this suffering world of the reality Abraham Cowley ) to the pleasing world of imagination. It is a longer poem in which the poet addresses a The Dorian ode: It is choric and is sung to nightingale. We find slow-winding movement the accompaniment of a dance. Its structure is of the plot. It employs the over-elaboration borrowed from the movements of the dancers. and spacious planning. It is longer than a lyric it consists of three parts: a first stanza form, proper. Plenty of reference items are added to known as the strophe, during the recitation of elaborate the main thesis of the poem. which the dancers make a turn from the right “ My heart aches”, “ a drowsy numbness to the left; a second stanza from, known as the pains”, “too happy in thine happiness”, antistrophe, during the recitation of which the “testing of Flora”, “ dissolve and quite dancer make a counter-turn from the left to forget”, “half in love with easeful Death”, the right ; and a third stanza-form , known as “the voice I hear this passing night”, “ vision the epode, during the recitation of which the or a walking dream” etc are the personal dancers stand still. feelings or experiences of the speaker . These Gray‟s odes “The progress of poesy‟‟ and are the subjective projections of the speaker. „‟The Bard‟‟ are among the most successful The musical quality in this poem can imitations of this form in the English primarily be realized through rhyme. The Language. rhyming pattern in this poem is ababcdecde in The Lesbian ode: It is simpler in form than each stanza. The above mentioned features the Pindaric ode and has therefore proved to form this poem a good ode in English be easier to imitate. It consists of a number of literature. short stanzas similar in length and arrangement. The treatment is direct and E. Ecocriticism dignified. Collin‟s „‟Ode to Evening‟‟, The term ecocriticism was first coined by Shelley‟s „‟Ode to the West Wind‟‟, Keats William Rueckert in his critical writing „‟Ode to a Nightingale„‟ and „‟Ode on a “Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Grecian Urn‟‟ are the successful imitations of Ecocriticism” in 1978. this form in the English language. Ecocriticism is a rapidly emerging field of Irregular ode: In the irregular ode, each literary study that considers the relationship stanza finds its own pattern of line-length. between the human beings and the The number of lines and rhyme schemes are environment. Environmental critics explore irregular. Collin‟s „‟The Passions‟‟, how nature and the natural world are Wordsworth‟s „‟Ode on Imitation of imagined through literary texts. Fenn (2015) Immortality‟‟ and Tennyson‟s „‟Ode on the asserts that “ecocriticism is a rapidly Duke of Wellington‟‟ are good examples of changing theoretical approach, which is irregular ode. different from the traditional approach to 54 International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61 Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com) literature.” According to Love (2003), unchanged by man.” A nightingale is a major ecocriticism focuses on the “inter connections word in the ode. The nightingale is a between the material world and human small passerine bird best known for its culture, specifically the cultural artifacts powerful and beautiful song. Seeing a language and literature.” Frederick (2007) nightingale is always difficult, as it is famous assumes ecocriticism “to give human beings a for its ability to lurk in thick cover where it is better understanding of nature.” difficult to mark. Ecocriticism is the study of literature and the environment from an interdisciplinary point of view, where literature scholars analyze texts that illustrate environmental concerns and examine the various ways literature treats the subject of nature. Ecocriticism is a term used for the observation and study of the relationship between the literature and the earth‟s environment. It takes an interdisciplinary point of view by analysing the works of authors, researchers, and poets in Figure 1: Nightingale the context of environmental issues and In this ode, the poet addresses the nightingale nature. Ecocriticism is an emergent research which he considers to be carefree, immortal field that, according to Heise (2008), “has and happy.