My creed is love and you are its only tenet

[dangermousie]

There is a movie that just premiered at Cannes about John Keats and Fanny Brawne!



Called Bright Star and getting rave reviews apparently.

OMG.

OMG.

I need to lie down now.

See my fascination with this topic ages ago.

Here is one of his letters to her:

My dearest Girl,

I wrote a Letter for you yesterday expecting to have seen your mother. I shall be selfish enough to send it though I know it may give you a little pain, because I wish you to see how unhappy I am for love of you, and endeavour as much as I can to entice you to give up your whole heart to me whose whole existence hangs upon you. You could not step or move an eyelid but it would shoot to my heart - I am greedy of you - Do not think of any thing but me. Do not live as if I was not existing - Do not forget me - But have I any right to say you forget me? Perhaps you think of me all day. Have I any right to wish you to be unhappy for me? You would forgive me for wishing it, if you knew the extreme passion I have that you should love me - and for you to love me as I do you, you must think of no one but me, much less write that sentence. Yesterday and this morning I have been haunted with .a sweet vision - I have seen you the whole time in your shepherdess dress. How my senses have ached at it! How my heart has been devoted to it! How my eyes have been full of Tears at it! I[n]deed I think a real Love is enough to occupy the widest heart - Your going to town alone, when I heard of it was a shock to me - yet I expected it - promise me you will not for some time, till I get better. Promise me this and fill the paper full of the most endearing mames [for names]. If you cannot do so with good will, do my Love tell me - say what you think - confess if your heart is too much fasten'd on the world. Perhaps then I may see you at a greater distance, I may not be able to appropriate you so closely to myself. Were you to loose a favorite bird from the cage, how would your eyes ache after it as long as it was in sight; when out of sight you would recover a little. Perphaps if you would, if so it is, confess to me how many things are necessary to you besides me, I might be happier, by being less tantaliz'd. Well may you exclaim, how selfish, how cruel, not to let me enjoy my youth! to wish me to be unhappy! You must be so if you love me - upon my Soul I can be contented with nothing else. If you could really what is call'd enjoy yourself at a Party - if you can smile in peoples faces, and wish them to admire you now, you never have nor ever will love me - I see life in nothing but the cerrtainty of your Love - convince me of it my sweetest. If I am not somehow convinc'd I shall die of agony. If we love we must not live as other men and women do - I cannot brook the wolfsbane of fashion and foppery and tattle. You must be mine to die upon the rack if I want you. I do not pretend to say I have more feeling than my fellows - but I wish you seriously to look over my letters kind and unkind and consider whether the Person who wrote them can be able to endure much longer the agonies and uncertainties which you are so peculiarly made to create - My recovery of bodily hea[l]th will be of no benefit to me if you are not all mine when I am well. For god's sake save me - or tell me my passion is of too awful a nature for you. Again God bless you

J.K.

No-my sweet Fanny-I am wrong. I do not want you to be unhappy - and yet I do, I must while there is so sweet a Beauty - my loveliest my darling! Good bye! I kiss you - O the torments!

Comments

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

*is dead*

The letter and picture is GORGEOUS.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am so excited.

btw, I am bad for not commenting in your own lj, but CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

[uisceros.livejournal.com]

Squee! I love John Keats (he's my favorite poet by far). And his story (and thus, his love story) is so sad.

I can't wait to see it! The shots look GOREGOUS (I'm a massive film geek, and real sucker for beautiful cinematography, especially when the shots incorportate metaphoric color, as the second image you posted is).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I adore Keats (he is not my favorite, John Donne is, but he is up there). This looks so gorgeous too.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I can't believe that it took them this long to make this film. I can't wait, even though I shall sob like a baby through much of it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

They were too busy making movies about Jane Austen's potential fictional romances? :)

I think they should make a movie about Byron next - just imagine the things they could put into that one!

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

I seem to recall that the BBC made a so-so miniseries about Byron a few years ago. It starred Johnny Lee Miller, and from memory (it's only hazy in my recollections, so it can't have been that great!) they kept lots of "juicy" stuff in it.

[pho50.livejournal.com]

"O the torments!"
I'm cackling with glee! What a letter! A definite MUST-SEE movie!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It just looks so glorious and I adore Keats so...

[bennet-7.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the amazing official website? It's gorgeous. No trailer yet but some of the photos and props give a real sense of the film. Must make some icons from it soon

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, no I have not! So excited!

[classicmaiden.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Without having seen the trailer, it's save to say that I HAVE to see this :)

Sebina/beautyofheart

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah - it just looks so swoony.

[ulkis.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to see this. I've seen one picture but that guy is officially my new crush.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

he is quite stunning, isn't he? In a rather intense way.

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, gorgeous! I didn't know whether was a movie... I find his life-story so impossibly tragic and yet romantic at the same time, so I'll be very interested in seeing this. Thanks for the heads up!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I didn't know there was one either - I discovered it completely by accident.

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

Ahh I must go see this. I love John Keats!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I do too. I wonder if sales of his poetry are going to go up after the flick? :)

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

Probably. All those people who can't stand poetry will hear it in the film and understand why those of us who love Keats, love him.

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

It looks so pretty!
In an amazing coincidence, I've been re-reading the first two books of Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos these last few weeks, wherein the poetry of Keats and a sort-of cyborg reincarnation of Keats figure prominently, and I was just thinking "Damn, they should make a movie of his life!" And now they obligingly have :-).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I love the Hyperion Cantos! OMG. Never met anyone else who's read them

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

And I only knew for sure that my mother and I had read and loved them :-). For all their critical acclaim they don't seem that well-known, which is a such a shame! They're among my favourite books ever, and this is the first time I've read them in about five years.

[village.livejournal.com]

Oh! It looks so pretty. I'll have to wait until it comes out on dvd if I'm going to sob though. Can't do that at the theatre. ;)

God. I wish people took the time to write letters like they used to. Sigh.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

But then I'd have to write letters back and I am lazy :)