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Metaphysical poetry and donne as metaphysical poet
- 4. PRESENTED BY: Mohsin AliMA English
- 5. METAPHYSICAL POETRY Theterm Metaphysical or metaphysics in poetry is the fruit of Renaissance tree. Originally the term ‘Metaphysical Poetry’ was coined by John Dryden and later popularized by Samuel Johnson in his book “Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets (1179-1781).
- 6. Introduction: The word“meta” means beyond and “physical” means physical nature. Metaphysical poetry means poetry that goes beyond the physical world of the senses and explores the spiritual world. Metaphysical poetry refers to a type of very intellectual poetry. It is a type of poetry dealing with abstract or philosophical subjects such as love, religion, God, beauty, faith and so on.
- 7. Thus, Metaphysicalpoetry means the poetry which addicted to witty conceits and farfetched imagery. This term ‘Metaphysical’ implies a process of dry reasoning, a speculation about the nature of universe and the problems of life and death. Metaphysical poetry is direct sensuous apprehension of thought or recreation of thought into feeling.
- 8. DANTE’S VIEW ABOUTMETAPHYSICAL POETRY Dante says about Metaphysical poetry: “Thoughts transmuted into the imagery of dreams”
- 9. According to Grierson: “Metaphysicalpoetry has been inspired by a philosophical conception of universe and of the role assigned to the human spirit in this life. It arises when the physical world loses its stability and the people lose faith in the orthodox thoughts and beliefs. At such times, sensitive poets like Donne, turns inward and aim at a better understanding of themselves and the world around them.”
- 10. The worldthey create becomes more important to them. Therefore, Donne says in ‘The Good Morrow’:- “Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown” Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.”
- 11. Main features ofMetaphysical poetry: Main features of metaphysical poetry include skillful use of wit and conceit, exhibition of learning, harsh versification, passionate thoughts, religious and dramatic elements, directness of speech, abrupt beginning, harsh rhythm, scientific speculations, and ordinary speech mixed with puns paradoxes, colloquial language, argumentative presentation of emotion, and daring imagery or metaphysical conceits.
- 12. TYPES AND THEMES The Metaphysical poets turned away from the long, old-fashioned works of Spenserians and concentrated their efforts on short poems and lyrics dealing with the themes of love of woman and love or fear of God. Often poems are presented in the form of arguments.
- 13. BEGINNING OF METAPHYSICALPOETRY Metaphysical poetry began early in the Jacobean age in the last stage of the age of Shakespeare. John Donne and his followers wrote Metaphysical poetry in 17th century. And this tradition was revived in England and America in 20th century.
- 14. DIFFERENT CRITICS VIEWS Dryden and Johnson being Neo-Classical critic used this term ‘Metaphysical’ in a negative sense. Johnson says: “The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together” But Thomas Stearns Eliot gives this term ‘Metaphysical’ a place of honour. He appreciated Metaphysical poets.
- 15. Metaphysical poets: MajorMetaphysical poets are, John Donne(1537-1631), Robert Herrick (1591-1674) Thomas Carew (1598-1639) Richard Crashaw (1613-1649) Henry Vaughan (1622-1695) George Herbert (1593-1633), Lord Herbert, Abraham Cowley (1618-1667), Andrew Marvel (1621-1672) and Edmund Waller (1606-1687).
- 16. JOHN DONNE ASA METAPHYSICAL POET (1537-1631)
- 17. John Donnewas the leader and founder of the Metaphysical school of poetry. Donne’s poetry is intellectual in nature; it is replete with witty conceits. It is full of imagery, dramatic elements, directness of speech and harsh rhythm. His best known works are ‘The Progress of the Soul’, ‘An Anatomy of the World’, An Elegy’ and ‘Epithalamium’.
- 18. Donne’s poetryis characterized by intellect in which emotions are fused. Donne passionately feels a thought and experiences it intensely. That is why T.S Eliot says: “A thought to Donne was an experience It modified his sensibility”
- 19. Combination of Thoughtand Feeling: Metaphysical poetry is a blend of passion of and thought. T.S Eliot thinks that: “Passionate thinking is the chief mark of Metaphysical poetry” There is an intellectual analysis of emotion in Donne’s poetry. Though every lyric arises out of some emotional situation, the emotion is not merely expressed, rather it is analyzed.
- 20. Donne’ poem‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ proves that lovers need not mourn at parting. For instance: “So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh tempests move, ‘Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love”
- 21. The majorquality of Metaphysical poetry is combination of thought and feeling. And Donne is the master of presenting together different objects which have a remote similarity between them. He connects the abstracts with concrete, the remote with the near and the physical with the commonplace.
- 22. In “TheSun Rising” Donne considers his beloved the centre of the universe. This feeling is conveyed by making the sun revolve round their room: “Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere; This bed thy center is, these walls thy sphere”
- 23. In Donne’sMetaphysical poetry emotions are shaped by logical reasoning. According to Grierson in Metaphysical poetry: “Exhibited deductive reasoning carried to a high pitch” Donne’s poetry expresses his extensive learning. He was well-versed in medieval sciences. Logic, theology, law and medicine were at his command. His mobile imagination could draw images from almost every field
- 24. Metaphysical Conceits: Fondnessfor conceits is one of major characteristic of Metaphysical poetry. Donne makes use of the daring imagery or Metaphysical conceits. His wit and conceits show his deep learning. The range of his imagery is vast. He compares his face and the face of his beloved to two hemispheres which make a globe but the world they build together is superior to the earthly globe. In “Good Morrow” he says: “My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears Where can we find two better hemispheres”
- 25. Donne oftenuses fantastic comparisons. The most striking and famous one used by Donne is the comparison of a man who travels and his beloved who stays at home to a pair of compasses in the poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” “If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two; Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if the other doe. ……………………………………………………. Thy firmness makes my circle just”
- 26. Use of Wit: John Donne is passionately witty and wittily passionate. Leishman is impressed by Donne’s poetry that he considers him “the monarch of wit”. Carew says in his elegy on Donne: “Here lies a king that ruled as he thought fit The universal monarchy of wit………………….”
- 27. The finestillustration of Donne’s wit is “The Flea”, “This flea is you and I and this Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is” In the poem “The Sun Rising” glorifying his beloved, he employs Metaphysical wit and extravagant conceits. Donne says: “She is all states and, and all princes I Nothing else is.”
- 28. Use of ColloquialSpeech: Use of colloquial speech is another element of Donne’s Metaphysical poetry. This is especially apparent in the abrupt, dramatic and conversational opening many of his poems. For instance, in the poem “The Canonization” He says: “For God’s sake hold thy tongue, and let me love.”
- 29. Argumentative Style: Metaphysicalpoetry is a fusion of passionate feelings and logical arguments. Argumentative manner of speech is another element of Donne’s poetry. He often tries to prove his statements through solid arguments. Following are some examples from some poems.
- 30. Examples of ArgumentativeStyle: “If our two loves be one, or thou and I Love so alike that none doe slacken, none can die.” (The Good Morrow) “If yet I have not all thy love, Dear, I shall never have it all; (Lover’s Infiniteness)
- 31. They who oneanother keep Alive, never parted bee.” (Sweetest love, I do not Go) Since thou and I sigh one another’s breath, Whoe’er sighes most is cruelest, and hastes the other’s death.” (A Valediction: Of Weeping)
- 32. “Love mee, thatI may die the gentler way; Hate mee, because thy love is too great for mee; ………………………………………………………………….. To let mee live, O love and hate mee too.” (The Prohibition)
- 33. Paradoxes: Donne’s poetryis replete with paradoxes and strange contradictions. He is a great love poet. Sometimes he is too blunt that he opposes, chides and starts blaming and even cursing his beloved. And on other hand, in flattery he left Petrarch behind. It is because Donne is so passionate and whatever he thinks he expresses, and it affects.
- 34. EXAMPLES OF PARADOXE: In his song ‘Go and Catch a Falling Star’ Donne claims: “And swear No where Lives a woman true and fair, Contradictory to this, he asserts in “The Sun Rising”: “She is all states, and all princes I; Nothing else is”
- 35. Similarly inhis Song “Sweetest Love, I do not Go” Donne says: “That art the best of me” In “The Relique” Donne says: “All measure, and all language, I should passé, Should I tell what a miracle she was.”
- 36. Affectation and HyperbolicExpression: Affectation and hyperbolic expression is another characteristic of Metaphysical poetry. It is often hard to find natural grace in metaphysical writing, abounding in artificiality of thought and hyperbolic expression.
- 37. The writerdeemed to say: “ Something unexpected and surprising, what they wanted to sublime, they endeavored to supply by hyperbole; their amplification had no limit, they left not only reason but fancy behind them and produced combination of confused magnificence”
- 38. For instance,see the lines of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”: “Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to ayery thinnesse beat.”
- 39. Exaggeration isanother important element of Donne’s poetry. This exaggeration appears to be cruel in its high spiritedness. He says: “Go and catch a falling star, Get with child a mandrake root,
- 40. Style: The lastand most important feature of Donne’s Metaphysical poetry is its language of style. Donne uses simple and common language. Legouis says: “He did not feel any necessity of mentioning gods and goddesses in his poetry, he rejected all the conventional and traditional poetic devices.” On the whole, simple words are used unexpectedly. Though diction is simple yet words are combined in unexpected way and thus strange compound are formed.
- 41. Conclusion: To sumup, Donne’s unconventional approach to love and divine poetry, his combination of thought and feeling and harsh versification make him a Metaphysical poet. The lyrics of the Metaphysical poems are fantastic and peculiar. According to A.C Ward: ”The metaphysical style is a combination of two elements, the fantastic form and style and the incongruous in matter and manner”
- 42. Therefore, sofar we discussed the salient features of metaphysical poetry; it is proved that Donne is a great metaphysical poet. He likes this kind of poetry because it produces a beautiful blend of the two i.e. heart and mind, religion and love.
- 43. The contributionof Metaphysical poets to the English literature is immense. They show the spiritual and moral favour of Puritans as well as the frank amorous tendency of Elizabethan. Metaphysical poets gave us the best religious poetry. In the field of love poetry, they gave different (cynical, Platonic, Petrarchan and amorous) moods. They gave colloquialism to verse. They gave intellectuality to the English poetry.