The Poetry and Philosophy of John Donne

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that the novelty of John Donne's poetry is that he does not merely talk of love as a personal experience, but undertakes a universal doctrine of love. The paper refers to Donne's poems "Good Morrow," "The Sun Rising," "A Canonization" and "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" in order to show how Donne speaks of love in alchemical terms, emphasizing the magical and unusual force which is obtained with the union of the two lovers.

From the Paper:

"The seventeenth century English author John Donne is probably the most prominent among the poets which were identified with the metaphysical strain. His work consists of poems, essays and sermons which emphasize the flight from medievalism and the dawn of modernism. One of the most representative poets of his century, Donne, wrote extensively on love in new and original ways. The novelty of Donne's poetry is that he does not merely talk of love as a personal experience, but undertakes a universal doctrine of love. His philosophy molds love as an erotic and spiritual ideal at the same time, the symbol of a passion that takes scope of the whole universe and not only of the two lovers."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Donne, John. Poems of John Donne. vol I. E. K. Chambers, ed. London: Lawrence & Bullen, 1896

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