Discussion Questions on Keats's Poetry and Prose

1. What are the consequences of "erotic contact between gods and man in Ovid," according to Paul de Man in "[The Negative Path]"?

2. What is the "negative aspect" of "Keats's gift for sympathy" in De Man's analysis of Keats?

3. Which event has produced the crisis that dominates Keats's "To ------" on pages 375-376?

4. How does De Man define this crisis in "To ------," and what is its significance in his argument about Keats's prospective vision?

5. What does the anonymous reviewer of Keats's poetry in the review on pages 95 to 98 praise Keats for?

6. What is Keats's opinion of Hill, Kingston and Du Bois—three men with whom he is spending time just before he formulates his theory of "Negative Capability" in his letter on pages 108-109?

7. Who is Z, and what is Z's role in Roe's argument about the political dimension of Keats's poetry?

8. What does Cockney mean, and how does Roe use the term in his argument about Keats's poetry?