聖アグネス祭前夜 : 1つの青春の通過儀礼

Abstract

Keats' The Eve of St. Agnes was interpreted variously : romantic tapestry of unique richness of color", "a fantasy of wish-fulfillment" and so on. Jack Stillinger, however, challenged these traditional readings and regards Porphyro as a villain but all characters in the poem seem faithful. Even Porphyro. They play their roll according to a ceremonial order. The poem is a ritual ceremony of a transition for the young couple to enter into adulthood. The Eve of St. Agnes is a poem of transition : a transition of adolescence to adulthood. It is also a transitional poem for Keats who was about to leave "the Chamber of Maiden Thought" for dark corridors where "Burden of Mystery" rules. The poem reflects his idea of imagination, poetry and poets' task which he expressed in his letters. His idea of dream and reality in the poem developed into the bitter contrast between the world of imagination and reality in Ode to a Nightingale. The relation of Madeline as a goddess with Porphyro as a pilgrim also presents obvious parallel with that of Psyche with the poet as a priest in Ode to Psyche.