Welcome to this comprehensive WJEC EDUQAS course on John Keats' renowned poem "To Autumn," presented by Private Tutors 'R' Us. Often hailed as one of the finest odes in the English language, "To Autumn" is a breath-taking exploration of the season's many facets, capturing its abundance, beauty, and the underlying sense of transience as the year moves towards its close.
 
Written in 1819, "To Autumn" is the final work in a series of six odes that Keats composed during a particularly productive period of his short life. The poem is an exquisite tribute to autumn, a season that Keats believed to be a time of growth, maturation, and eventual decline, symbolising the natural cycle of life and the impermanence of beauty.
 
Throughout the course, we will delve into the poem's rich imagery, focusing on the vivid descriptions of the harvest season, the gradual transition from abundance to decay, and the interplay between life and death. We will also examine the poem's structure, which follows a traditional ode format, and its use of language techniques, such as personification, alliteration, and assonance, to create an immersive sensory experience for the reader.
 
Moreover, we will discuss the historical and biographical context of the poem, exploring how Keats' personal life, his experiences in the Romantic era, and his connection to nature influenced his portrayal of autumn. By analysing "To Autumn" in detail, we will gain a deeper understanding of the poem's themes, such as the celebration of the natural world, the passage of time, and the acceptance of life's impermanence.
 
Join us on this literary journey as we immerse ourselves in the world of John Keats' "To Autumn," experiencing the season's allure and melancholy, and appreciating the profound emotions and insights the poem has to offer.