Since learning about Negative Capability I’ve thought about this concept continually, and am quite sure it's more than a prism through which we can examine literature . . . it's more than a mental state to settle into before creating or analyzing. I'm beginning to see Keats's poetry and the philosophy (modern use of the word) expressed therein as a rather complete system for living in, and understanding, the world around us.
Humans seem to innately search for black and white truths; this is where we find comfort - in a zone of simplicity and familiarity. Keats recognizes that not having all of the answers may in fact be uncomfortable, but it's ultimately a far better state in which to remain.
How simple, thank you Mr. Keats! Except as we read these lines we realize he has not provided for us definitions we need to follow this simply stated advice:
Is truth transcendent/conceptual/Platonic, or is it in the nitty gritty, nuts and bolts natural world? He does not decide - offering a perfect example of negative capability as a philosophical system for coping with and understanding the human condition; a condition which includes the necessity for directly confronting pain as part of the experience of beauty.
No comments:
Post a Comment