Ode to a great poet
Ok I'm not really about to write an ode since I don't possess enough poetic flair or melancholy, but Keats is my favorite of the great Romantic poets! Ok Wordsworth is pretty close.. and Blake is amazing too. Anyway, Bright Star is still sitting on my netflix queue, I fully intend to watch it one day!
Keep in mind when you come into the House that it's more for the experience of a pleasant walk through Hampstead as well as the beautiful preservation of the house, and less for historical accuracy as Keats only lived there for 2 years and almost nothing in the house belongs to him (spoiler!).
I will definitely recommend that you attend one of the free tours they offer twice a day, as it will give you much more insight into the house as well as Keats' life, and will generally just make the experience much more enjoyable and not as much like an aimless wandering through a random house looking at meaningless objects. As he didn't live for very long there, walking through the house itself doesn't give you much of an idea of anything about his life or character, but the tour allows you to ask questions and get a better understanding.
There is also a bookshop or library next door, we didn't go in so I have no idea if the books there are about Keats specifically or Romantic poets, or any particular genre. But it would be worth checking out! This is great place to spend a few hours and lose yourself in one of the many wonderful literary treasures around London. Next stop, Dicken's museum! read more