Bright Star (ATOM Study Guide)

London 1818: A secret love affair begins between 23-year-old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of fashion. The unlikely pair start at odds; he thinking her a stylish minx, she unimpressed by literature in general.

It is the illness of Keats' younger brother that draws them together. Keats is touched by Fanny's efforts to help and agrees to teach her poetry. By the time Fanny's alarmed mother and Keats' best friend Brown realise their attachment, the relationship has an unstoppable momentum.

Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, the young lovers are swept into powerful new sensations, 'I have the feeling as if I were dissolving', Keats writes to Fanny. Their romantic obsession deepens.

This study guide to accompany Bright Star (2009), a feature film written and directed by Jane Campion, is recommended for secondary students from the middle to senior years. It provides information and suggestions for learning activities in English, Literature and Media.