... Endymion: A Poetic Romance. By John Keats ... Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems ... [reviews].

Endymion, published in 1818, stands as John Keats's first major long-form work, intended to establish his reputation as a serious poet. The poem, heavily influenced by Elizabethan narrative styles and classical mythology, was met with harsh critical hostility upon its release, particularly from influential journals like the Quarterly Review and Blackwood’s Magazine. Critics of the time, including Francis Jeffrey, attacked Keats for his association with the 'Cockney School' of poets, dismissing his ornate style and emotional depth as pretentious or lacking in structural discipline.

The 1820 volume, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, was released shortly before Keats’s death and represents his most mature and celebrated work. By the time this collection was being reviewed, the critical tide began to turn, as prominent figures recognized the profound lyricism and sensory mastery that had been overlooked in Endymion. While Francis Jeffrey had been a sharp critic of the earlier work, his subsequent commentary on these later poems helped solidify Keats's posthumous legacy as one of the most significant voices of the Romantic era.