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Baylor University.

John Keats's Ode on a Grecian Urn : a study of the critical opinions and textual material.

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Since its publication in 1820 critics have offered numerous opinions concerning the Ode on a Grecian Urn. Until 1925 the criticism was shallow, but a predominant theory did emerge. During the last forty-one years this theory has been engulfed by a flood of new interpretations. The result is that the contemporary critic finds a myriad of theories concerning the general thought of the poem. The attempt of this thesis to establish a final reading evaluates these interpretations on the basis of whether they are supported by a stanza-by-stanza explication, whether these explications are consistent in dealing with the material of the poem, and whether these explications are based on the authoritative text. The conclusion to this attempt is that a final reading cannot be established because an authoritative text cannot be determined; therefore, the two entirely different approaches to the important last two lines ((1) they are one statement; (2) they consist of a statement and a counterstatement) are justified as are the myriad of approaches to the whole poem that depend upon them.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
M.A.
Level thesis:degree_level
Masters
Grantor
Baylor University.
Year dc:date.issued
1967

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Womack, Joseph Leslie, 1942-
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Goode, Clement Tyson, 1929-

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14484
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14484

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Baylor University
Base URL
baylor-ir.tdl.org/server/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Womack, Joseph Leslie, 1942-. John Keats's Ode on a Grecian Urn : a study of the critical opinions and textual material.. Masters thesis, Baylor University., 1967. https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14484