Form

The poem is in the form of an ode – highlighting and praising the particular time of year. It is the last
of what has come to be known as Keats’ six great odes, all written in the same year (1819). In some
of his other, equally famous odes, Keats uses ten lines in each stanza but here he uses one extra line.
At the same time as giving the poem more interest, it echoes the idea in the content of there being
an excess of everything.

Structure

The first four lines of each stanza follow the regular rhyme scheme abab, but the other seven show
more variation, with lines 9 and 10 having rhyming couplets, echoing back to a rhyme earlier in each
stanza. This relatively complex rhyme scheme allows the poet to introduce the focus of each stanza,
then explore the ideas in a more leisurely and considered way.

The three stanzas also trace a pattern through autumn itself, focusing on a different aspect of a day
and highlighting a key sense:

The basic rhythm of the poem is iambic pentameter, though Keats introduces a number of variations
to ensure the poem never becomes mechanical and repetitive.

Language

Keats seems to visualise autumn as a woman

The vocabulary Keats has chosen is rich and sensuous. The opening line (one of the most famous in
poetry) is warm and inviting with its combinations of ‘m’ and ‘s’ sounds – try saying it out loud,
slowly, to get the full effect.

The two key literary devices which Keats makes use of in the poem are personification and rhetorical
questions.

Personification
 Although never explicitly stated, Keats seems to visualise the season of autumn as a woman. In the
first stanza she is described as a ‘Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun’. The male summer and the
female autumn form a union to produce abundant crops which characterise the season. In the
second stanza she is shown at rest ‘sitting careless on a granary floor' or 'on a half-reap’d furrow
sound asleep’. Although sometimes hard at work the season is also one for rest and relaxation. In
the final stanza the personified figure of autumn faces the end of its life as winter starts to approach.
Autumn thinks back wistfully to spring and there is a sense of regret as life passes.

 the poem makes use of the idea of the seasons passing to comment on the progress of
human life.

 The poem progresses over the course of a day.

 The poem contains three stanzas with a logical time development which mirrors the
development of the content.

 Keats’ poem is far more of a celebration of the power of autumn; although

death is still present it is recognised as part of the inevitable circle of life.
The Keats poem uses the formal structure, rhythms and rhyme of an ode.

Context of 'To Autumn'

Keats wrote 'To Autumn' after being inspired by a walk he had taken through the countryside

Keats is generally classified as one of the Romantic poets. Romanticism was a general artistic
movement (literature, music, the visual arts, etc.) which dominated European culture from the last
part of the 18th century until the mid-19th century. Among its key aspects were:
  a deep appreciation of the power and beauty of nature

 a recognition of the influence of the senses and of personal emotion

 an understanding of the deeper meaning of life

All of these may be seen at work in Keats’ To Autumn which reflects on mankind’s relationship with a
particular time of year. He wrote the poem inspired by a walk he had taken through the countryside;
it is, therefore, a highly personal response.

Keats initially trained as a surgeon but gave it up to write poetry. Six months after completing To
Autumn, he experienced the first signs of the tuberculosis that would end his life. In the poem it is
almost as though the medically-trained poet has understood that his life will soon end and he is
preparing himself for death. Keats died in 1821 aged just 25. Despite his short life, Keats has had a
major impact on poetry and is regarded as one of the most important poets in literary history.