Spencer's faerie queene may have awakened his genius

Before his eighteenth year, Keats was unaware of his poetic aptitude, and his exceptional development as a poet in such a short period of time is regarded as an impressive accomplishment. Charles Cowden Clarke and Charles Brown, who were close friends with Keats, claimed that Spencer's "Faerie Queene" may have sparked the poet's brilliance. Spencer had been introduced to Keats by Cowden, who had read him the Epithalamion one afternoon, and the poet had enthusiastically asked to borrow the "Faerie Queene" that same evening.

It's possible that Spenser, who has a reputation for inspiring young people to adore poetry, had a mystical effect on Keats. The brothers of Keats supported the poet's unexpected rise to poetic prominence. Moreover, Charles Brown positively remembered that it was the inspiration of the “Faerie Queene” that drew Keats towards attempting his hand at poetry. Imitation of Spenser may also be seen in his first volume of poems.