John Keats provides a convincing and helpful model of James Britton's philosophy and research on composition. While, contrary to Britton's paradigm, much of Keats's work is simultaneously in the expressive, transactional and poetic modes, early poems are primarily expressive: they record his perception of reality as filtered through his senses and represent his working out of important ideas. As the development of the concept "negative capability" suggests, during Keats's middle period he shifted his focus from himself to his subject and audience. Concerned with persuading, in this transactional mode he developed his craftsmanship by emulating the structures and techniques of great masters such as Shakespeare. He also continued to refine his own philosophy and aims. Finally, in the poetic function, embodied in the great odes, Keats achieved a genuine originality in structure and content. In moving from the participant's to the spectator's perspective, Keats gave his philosophical insights the conviction of enduring truths. Throughout his brief career, as his letters, works, and the subsequent critical analysis of his poetry show, Keats's writing procedure clearly parallels Britton's steps of preparation, incubation and articulation. (MM)