STYLISTIC AND CRITICAL DIMENSIONS OF JOHN KEATS’ ODE ON A GRECIAN URN: AN EXPLORATION OF FORM, MEANING, AND AESTHETIC VISION

Abstract

This study presents a stylistic and critical analysis of John Keats’s Ode on a Grecian Urn, focusing on the interplay between linguistic features and thematic depth. By examining diction, imagery, syntax, rhyme, rhythm, figures of speech, and tone, the research highlights how Keats’s stylistic choices construct meaning and evoke aesthetic experience. The study also critically evaluates how these features contribute to the poem’s central philosophical themes, particularly the notions of beauty, truth, and timelessness. Employing a qualitative literary and linguistic approach, the research combines close reading with stylistic analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of the poem’s enduring significance. Findings reveal that Keats’s deliberate use of poetic devices enhances the tension between transience and permanence, amplifies emotional resonance, and reinforces the Romantic ideal that art mediates between human experience and universal truth.