Metaphysical poets, was a group of English poets of seventeenth century (late Elizabethan era) who never formed a separate school or a movement proper in the history of English Literature, but were rather distinguished and categorized on the basis of the presence of common traits of style, wit, inventiveness, wordplay and most importantly; the use of metaphors in an untraditional way.
The term was first coined by Samuel Johnson who in his book ‘Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets’ (1779-81) referred to this era as one in which “there appeared a race of writers that may be termed the metaphysical poets”. Johnson’s notion of calling these poets metaphysical was not in the true sense of the word, but was an extension of the idea expounded earlier on by John Dryden who remarked about John Donne in the following words: “He affects the metaphysics, not only in his satires, but in his amorous verses, where nature only should reign”. After undergoing almost two centuries of relegation these poets were brought again to the attention of the wider circles of English readership first by Dr Grierson (1912) and later on by T.S. Eliot in his famous essay ‘The Metaphysical Poets’ (1921).
The most striking feature of the poets of this group was the extension of both the variety and range of the metaphorical imagery i.e. metaphysical conceit, which brought the most unusual and paradoxical images into the realm of poetry. This following an unorthodox course led the reader to surprise, amazement and refined understanding of the objects compared. The most powerful and vibrant effects were conjured up by sudden and striking associations of images. Johnson said of it that “the most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together.” Carrying the Jo...
... middle of paper ...
...oets of this genre. During the era of Cromwell he wrote many poems which not only criticised court but brought parliament under the brunt of his satires too. Strikingly of all the disciples of ‘School Of Donne’, Marvell is among that very fine strand of poets who is opposed bitterly, for he combined the attributes and peculiarities of all his fellow disciples and Elizabethan predecessors. But in all these works he handled all his themes and subjects with such great diligence, subtlety and mastery that made him not only original but also a peculiar poet of his and coming times.
His style of lyric poetry which attracted great deal of attention of the critics and readers of the twentieth century, ironically grew out of fashion by the time of his death, but continued enjoying being called as a patriotic poet and harbinger of civil, political and parliamentary liberties.
... Works Cited Everett, Nicholas. From The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry in English. Ed. Ian Hamilton.
Raffel, Burton. and Alexandra H. Olsen Poems and Prose from the Old English, (Yale University Press)Robert Bjork and John Niles,
The definition of poetry, instead of becoming more selective and exact, has become a much more broad and open minded classification of literature. From It's beginning's in romanticist Puritan literature, to its more modernistic function on present society, poetry has become a way to blend the psychological side of human intellect, with the emotional side of human intuition and curiosity. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were two early poets from the late 19th century. Unlike Walt, Emily liked to write at home, she was a more secluded author who enjoyed to look out the window for inspiration. Walt on the other hand loved to travel. He found inspiration through nature and the diversity of thriving cultures throughout the world. Although these writers found inspiration from two different methods, their poems have distinct similarities in theme, images, and main ideas.
Poets wanted to be known for their unique style and way of writing, giving themselves more of an edge over other poets, to stand out. That is what the Modernism era was all about, poets giving their work more of themselves. Robert Hayden wrote most...
John Donne and George Herbert are both known for being seventeenth century metaphysical poets. Metaphysical poetry is an intellectual poetry that uses a comparison that focuses on and science, religion, and mathematics. John Donne grew up into a religious family and was ordained an Angelican priest later in his life. George Herbert was also very religious; he was ordained a priest just as Donne had been. John Donne was acquainted with Herbert’s mother which caused him to become one of Herbert’s main influences. Both Donne and Herbert focused on writing religious poetry that would spread their beliefs. John Donne wrote “Holy Sonnet 10” an emotional religious poem about Death not having power because God promises an eternal life so Death itself is just temporarily doing God’s work. George Herbert wrote “Love (III)” which was also a religious poem that is about a guest who is a sinner and feels unworthy to be in the presence of Love who is personified as God. Throughout the poem Love tries to make the guest feel welcome regardless of what he has done. Both Donne and Herbert write their poems to express their faith in a way that also expresses how they feel. Although they use some reason throughout their poems ultimately their poems are emotionally based. In seventeenth century poetry Donne and Herbert found emotion more important that reason in their poems.
Poetry’s role is evaluated according to what extent it mirrors, shapes and is reshaped by historical events. In the mid-19th century, some critics viewed poetry as “an expression of the poet’s personality, a manifestation of the poet’s intuition and of the social and historical context which shaped him” ( Preminger, Warnke, Hardison 511). Analysis of the historical, social, political and cultural events at a certain time helps the reader fully grasp a given work. The historical approach is necessary in order for given allusions to be situated in their social, political and cultural background. In order to escape intentional fallacy, a poet should relate his work to universal
Poetry is a form of literature that has been very meaningful and successful in history. “Poetry has a long history, dating back to the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh.” (Dodd) Decades and decades before the twenty-first century, there were very well known poets that sat and wrote such intricate literature. Many wise men using their own form, layout, rhythm and techniques wrote long lasting master pieces that are still widely studied in the education systems today. Four known poets by the names of Wordsworth, Woolf, Pope and Aristotle were all mentioned in various texts throughout the Jacobus textbook. After reading such passages, it was made known that Pope and Aristotle have similar
In the 17th century Britain a ’new wave’ of poets emerged, the one that would later be labelled the metaphysical poets. They had a very unique style that is very energetic, paradoxical, often enough to completely boggle the reader, and in a way entertaining for the way they hid their real point at times. How many times have we thought of them innocent, often thinking them to be saints and such? Certainly, in a way they are, but to enjoy reading them we have to be fully aware of the possible peiorativeness of their poems. But it’s not the only thing they wrote about. They also criticized the society although less likely. In my contrastive analysis I chose to analyse Richard Lovelace’s works, and make an attempt to assess what he was.
This paper discusses three thesis in relation to poetry: (1) the Inadequacy Thesis: language is inadequate to capture, portray, do justice to, the quality and intensity of the inner life; (2) the Empathy Thesis: descriptions of certain kinds of experiences can only be (adequately) understood by a person who has had similar experiences; (3) the Poetic Thesis, which has two parts: (a) only through poetry can we hope to overcome the problem of the Inadequacy Thesis and (b) the difficulty of (some) poetry is at least partly explained by the Empathy Thesis. The paper argues that there are important truths underlying each thesis but that it would be wrong to connect this kernel of truth with a Lockean view of language, and in particular with a view of language as 'private', in the sense implied by Locke and criticized by Wittgenstein. The romantic conception of poetry, to which the theses are related, neither relies on the Lockean view nor does it succumb to the Wittgensteinian view.
Masson, Davis. Essays Biographical and Critical: Chiefly on English Poets. La Vergne, Tennessee: Lightning Source, Inc., 2007.
In "Elegy XIX [To His Mistress Going to Bed]," we are confronted with one of Donne's personalities. The poem begins abruptly: Come, Madam, come! All rest my powers defy;/ Until I labour, I in l abour lie. The reader is immediately thrust into the middle of a private scene in which Donne attempts to convince his lover to undress and come to bed. There is only one speaker in this poem, Donne, we do not hear the voice or a description of the feelings of another person, but she is always present. If Samuel Johnson was correct when he made the statement that "the metaphysical poets were men of learning, and to show their learning was their whole endeavour.
The metaphysical era in poetry started in the 17th century when a number of poets extended the content of their poems to a more elaborate one which investigated the principles of nature and thought. John Donne was part of this literary movement and he explored the themes of love, death, and religion to such an extent, that he instilled his own beliefs and theories into his poems. His earlier works, such as The Flea and The Sunne Rising, exhibit his sexist views of women as he wrote more about the physical pleasures of being in a relationship with women. However, John Donne displays maturity and adulthood in his later works, The Canonization and A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, in which his attitude transcends to a more grown up one. The content of his earlier works focused on pursuing women for his sexual desires, which contrasts heavily with his latter work. John Donne’s desire for physical pleasure subsides and he seeks to gain an emotional bond with women, as expressed in his later poetry.
Metaphysical poets use startling juxtapositions in their poetry to create a greater significance in their arguments and intended meanings throughout the poem. John Donne is said to be the unsurpassed metaphysical poet, metaphysical poetry being poetry relating to a group of 17-century English poets whose verse is typified by an intellectually arduous style, admitting extended metaphors and comparing very disparate things. In 17th century England new discoveries were being made and social customs such as men being the dominant over women still applied. Through Donne’s poetry we can see that he is goaded and confused by the new discoveries and the social customs avert him from reaching his desires. This is incalculably recognized in his two poems, “The Sunne Rising” and “The Flea” where Donne’s arguments challenge some beliefs of the 17th century England. Through “The Sunne Rising” we gain a sense of meaning that Donne is irritated and perplexed with new discoveries and that he believes his love is everything in the whole world. In “The Flea” we can see Donne challenging the social costumes of the 17th century, such as chastity of women, his tremendous persistence to sexually unite with the woman and the overall dominance presented over the woman. In both of these poems Donne uses vividly striking differences in the argument to emphasize the overall meaning of the poem. These dramatic contrasts include conceit, binary opposition, imagery, specific words and the movement of the poem, which are additionally affirmed by poetic devices.
John Donne is known as being one of the most famous and influential metaphysical poets. The term “metaphysical," as applied to English and continental European poets of the seventeenth century, was used by Augustan poets John Dryden and Samuel Johnson to reprove those poets for their “unnaturalness.” As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote, however, “The unnatural, that too is natural," and the metaphysical poets continue to be studied and revered for their intricacy and originality. Due to Donne’s personal experiences with spirituality and love, he is able to grasp the true meaning of metaphysical poetry (Brief Guide to Metaphysical Poets). Using all the aspects of metaphysical poetry, Donne creates a mysterious metaphoric poem titled, “The Flea.” Throughout this poem, the use of metaphors and breaks into the separate stanzas allow for the audiences to understand what The Flea is really about. At first glance, many read The Flea as a poem that compares sexual intimacy with an animal, but when broken down, it can be seen that the meaning is much deeper than intimacy, but it
"The point of view which I am struggling to attack is perhaps related to the metaphysical theory of the substantial unity of the soul: for my meaning is, that the poet has, not a personality' to express, but a particular medium, which is only a medium and not a personality, in which impressions and experiences combine in peculiar and unexpected ways."