International Research Journal of Education and Technology

Negative capability is the ability to not know, to tolerate ambiguity and resist that instinctive need to protect oneself through understanding and control. It is the ability to see the truth of the world through an unfiltered lens, no matter how disturbing or threatening it is, and to abandon beliefs that serve to protect one’s identity and create comfort. Negative Capability, as articulated by John Keats in his 1817 letter, is a pivotal concept in Romantic literature. It refers to the poet’s ability to remain in uncertainties and mysteries without seeking factual or rational explanations. In Ode to a Nightingale, John Keats exemplifies Negative Capability—the ability to exist within uncertainty, mysteries, and doubts without irritable reaching after fact or reason—by immersing himself in the fleeting beauty of the nightingale's song, accepting the coexistence of joy and pain, and embracing the unknown regarding life and death

Keywords: Negative Capability, Romanticism, Escapism, Perception