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In the wake of his brother Tom’s death, John Keats (Ben Whishaw) visits Mrs Brawne (Kerry Fox) and her children, Fanny (Abbie Cornish), Toots (Edie Martin) and Samuel (Thomas Brodie-Sangster). Fanny presents Keats with a pillowslip she has embroidered and asks if he can spend Christmas with her family. Mr Brown (Paul Schneider), who has offered lodgings to Keats, says Keats has a prior engagement.
Curator’s notes
The blossoming love between Fanny and Keats is shown. Keats, who is grieving over the recent death of his beloved brother Tom, is deeply moved by Fanny’s gift. The manner in which Keats kisses the pillowslip and asks Fanny to see him alone carries a charge of attraction that is both spiritual and erotic. Mr Brown seems determined to deprive Fanny of Keats’ company at every turn. Fanny’s contempt for Brown is by now barely concealed.
Note Fanny’s use of French when asking her mother if Keats can visit. French was the lingua franca in much of the western world at this time.
