John Donne, a prominent figure in metaphysical poetry
Origins and Definition
In his *Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets* (1779-81), Samuel Johnson refers to the beginning of the 17th century in which there "appeared a race of writers that may be termed the metaphysical poets". Johnson was repeating the disapproval of earlier critics who upheld the rival canons of Augustan poetry, for though Johnson may have given the Metaphysical "school" the name by which it is now known, he was far from being the first to condemn 17th-century poetic usage of conceit and word-play.Key Anthologists and the Metaphysical Canon
Two key anthologists in particular were responsible for identifying common stylistic traits among 17th-century poets. Herbert Grierson's *Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the Seventeenth Century* (1921) was important in defining the Metaphysical canon. In addition, Helen Gardner's *Metaphysical Poets* (1957) included 'proto-metaphysical' writers such as William Shakespeare and Sir Walter Raleigh and, extending into the Restoration, brought in Edmund Waller and Rochester. Late additions to the Metaphysical canon have included sacred poets of both England and America who had been virtually unknown for centuries.
George Herbert, another significant metaphysical poet
The School of Donne
In 1958 Alvarez proposed an alternative approach in a series of lectures eventually published as *The School of Donne*. This was to look at the practice and self-definition of the circle of friends about Donne, who were the recipients of many of his verse letters. They were a group of some fifteen young professionals with an interest in poetry, many of them poets themselves although, like Donne for much of his life, few of them published their work. Instead, copies were circulated in manuscript among them.A younger second generation was a close-knit group of courtiers, some of them with family or professional ties to Donne's circle, who initially borrowed Donne's manner to cultivate wit. Eventually George Herbert, Henry Vaughan and Richard Crashaw, all of whom knew each other, took up the religious life and extended their formerly secular approach into this new area.Esteem for Intelligence
What all had in common, according to Alvarez, was esteem, not for metaphysics but for intelligence. Johnson's remark that "To write on their plan it was at least necessary to read and think" only echoed its recognition a century and a half before in the many tributes paid to Donne on his death. Coupled with it went a vigorous sense of the speaking voice. It begins with the rough versification of the satires written by Donne and others in his circle such as Everard Gilpin and John Roe. Later it modulates into the thoughtful religious poems of the next generation with their exclamatory or conversational openings and their sense of the mind playing over the subject and examining it from all sides.Defining the Community of Readers
A different approach to defining the community of readers is to survey who speaks of whom, and in what manner, in their poetry.Twelve "Elegies upon the Author" accompanied the posthumous first collected edition of Donne's work, *Poems by J.D. with elegies of the author’s death* (1633), and were reprinted in subsequent editions over the course of the next two centuries. Though the poems were often cast in a suitably Metaphysical style, half were written by fellow clergymen, few of whom are remembered for their poetry. The links between Donne's elegists were thus of a different order from those between Donne and his circle of friends, often no more than professional acquaintanceship.Main Traits of Metaphysical Poetry
Grierson attempted to characterise the main traits of Metaphysical poetry in the introduction to his anthology. Another characteristic singled out by Grierson is the Baroque European dimension of the poetry, its "fantastic conceits and hyperboles which was the fashion throughout Europe". Again Johnson had been partly before him in describing the style as "borrowed from Marino and his followers". From the use of conceits particularly, the writing of these European counterparts was known, Concettismo in Italian, Conceptismo in Spanish. In fact Crashaw had made several translations from Marino.
Giambattista Marino, whose style influenced metaphysical poetry
The Baroque Style
In the opinion of one critic of the 1960s, defining the extent of the Baroque style in 17th-century English poetry "may even be said to have taken the place of the earlier discussion of the metaphysical". The use of conceits was common not only across the Continent, but also elsewhere in England among the Cavalier poets, including such elegists of Donne as Carew and Godolphin. As an example of the rhetorical way in which various forms of repetition accumulate in creating a tension, only relieved by their resolution at the end of the poem, Segel instances the English work of Henry King as well as Ernst Christoph Homburg's in German and Jan Andrzej Morsztyn's in Polish.Enduring Literary Conventions
Much of this display of wit hinges upon enduring literary conventions and is only distinguished as belonging to this or that school by the mode of treatment. Long before it was so-named, the Metaphysical poetic approach was an available model for others outside the interlinking networks of 17th century writers, especially young men who had yet to settle for a particular voice.The poems written by John Milton while still at university are a case in point and include some that were among his earliest published work, well before their inclusion in his *Poems of 1645*. His *On the Morning of Christ's Nativity* (1629) and "On Shakespear" (1630) appear in Grierson's anthology; the latter poem and "On the University Carrier" (1631) appear in Gardner's too.
John Milton, who experimented with metaphysical styles early in his career
Contextual Choice of Style
The start of John Dryden's writing career coincided with the period when Cleveland, Cowley and Marvell were first breaking into publication. He had yet to enter university when he contributed a poem on the death of Henry Lord Hastings to the many other tributes published in *Lachrymae Musarum* (1649). The choice of style by the young Milton and the young Dryden can therefore be explained in part as contextual. Both went on to develop radically different ways of writing; neither could be counted as potentially Metaphysical poets.literary context metaphysical poets john donne video
Characteristics
The metaphysical poets frequently combine dissimilar ideas. Learning reveals their scholarship. To show learning is their chief object. Passion, sentiment and sensuality are subordinated to wit. Broad divisions of amorous and religious verse.Here's a summary of the key characteristics of Metaphysical poetry:| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Inventive Conceits | Unusual and extended metaphors that draw surprising parallels between dissimilar things. |
| Emphasis on Spoken Verse | A focus on the natural rhythms and cadences of speech rather than strict lyrical form. |
| Intellectual Exploration | A deep engagement with philosophical, religious, and scientific ideas. |
| Wit and Irony | A playful and often ironic tone, showcasing the poet's intelligence and sophistication. |
| Colloquial Diction | Use of everyday language and abrupt openings to create a conversational feel. |
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