10. John Keats’ Love for Fanny Brawne Inspired One of His Most Famous Poems, “Bright Star”
When the young John Keats fell in love with his neighbor Fanny Brawne, it produced one of his most famous poems in an otherwise short literary career. The socially awkward Keats scorned marriage, generally avoiding women until he met Fanny Brawne in the autumn of 1818. Although she initially didn’t impress him, her bubbly personality and coquettish allure captivated him. Throughout their love affair, Keats wrote her dozens of letters, some of them passionate and some of them rife with jealousy over her flirtatious behavior. By October 1819, Keats proposed to Fanny, promising to marry her when he became a successful poet.
Desperate to marry Fanny, Keats wrote poems that the public would not recognize for their brilliance until after his death. Inspired by his beloved, he wrote “Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art,” which became one of his most famous sonnets. In February 1820, he suffered a coughing fit, the first signs of tuberculosis that killed his family members. Breaking his engagement with Fanny, Keats moved to Italy in November 1820 to help his condition. Three months later, he died, requesting Fanny’s last letters to him be placed in his coffin.