"Keats and the Mirror of Art" is a study in the ways of the imagination. When he stumbled on the visual source of a key-passage in one of the early poems, the author began to suspect that one of Keats's principal sources of inspiration has been neglected by modern critics. To make sure that he was on the right lines he began by investigating the cultural milieu in which the poet lived and wrote. He found that Keats had been surrounded by painters and art critics, and that their conversation and opinions has exerted an important influence on the development of his imagination and on his speculations about the nature of poetry. By considering Keats against this background Dr. Jack has thrown a great deal of new light on his poetry, his handling of Greek mythology, and his attitude to human life. His book makes a fresh approach to the ecology of the arts in the early nineteenth century. -- From publisher's description.