John Donne: A Master of Metaphysical Poetry and Love
A Valediction Forbidding
Mourning
Or, why Geometry is sexy
John Donne
John Donne
•
Born 1572
•
English recusant Catholicism
•
Donne himself converted to Anglicanism
•
1584 Donne entered Hart Hall, Oxford,
•
Law student for two or more years.
•
Secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, the lord keeper of
England.
•
Fell in love with Ann More; secretly married 1601
•
Took holy orders
•
12 children
•
Died 1631, probably from stomach cancer
Metaphysical Poetry
•
Three stages of Donne’s lyric poetry
•
Young “Jack Donne”: carnal (“The Flea”)
•
Neoplatonic ideal of love
(“Valediction…Mourning”)
•
Dr. Donne’s religious poetry (Holy Sonnets)
Context
•
Biographer Izaak Walton
•
Donne left for a diplomatic mission to France.
•
Wife was pregnant and sick and asked him to
stay in England urged him not to go
•
Donne felt an obligation to the expedition’s
leader, Sir Robert Drury.
Two Days in Paris
•
Donne has a vision of his wife walking around
with a dead child
•
Messenger later returned with news the child
had indeed died
Syllogistic Argument
•
Specific audience (here, his wife)
•
Raises an issue
•
Explicates issue
•
Proceeds to explain why issue isn’t the way
she sees it
Metaphysical Conceit
–
Extended metaphor that compares two very
different things
–
Often accomplished through use of imagery
–
Two items being compared “yoked together by
violence”
–
Love like a geometric compass
Other items of note
•
Use of paradox
•
Allusions
•
Complex structural forms
Color Coding
•
Red: definitions or parsing
•
Aqua: Major themes, literary devices, points
of analysis
Sacred Love
As
virtuous
men
pass mildly away
,
And whisper to their
souls
to
go,
Whilst some of their sad friends
do say
The breath goes now, and some
say, No:
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.
•
die peacefully
•
Shift in POV
•
Hyperbole and imagery
Hyperbolic Imagery
Moving of th' earth
brings
harms and fears,
Men reckon what it did,
and meant;
But
trepidation of the
spheres,
Though greater far, is
innocent.
•
Earthquakes
•
Ptolemaic astronomy—
planets shook but
people couldn’t feel it
•
Cosmic imagery and
hyperbole
Proof by Contradiction
Dull
sublunary
lovers' love
(Whose
soul is sense
) cannot
admit
Absence, because it doth remove
Those things which elemented
it.
But
we
by a love so much refined,
That our selves know not what
it is,
Inter-assuréd of the mind,
Care less, eyes, lips, and hands
to miss.
•
Under the moon, so variable
•
Are focused on physical
sensation
•
Shift in POV; indicates their
love is more spiritual and
therefore more lasting
•
Importance of mental over
physical
Logical Syllogism
Our
two souls
therefore
,
which are one
,
Though I must go,
endure not yet
A
breach
, but an
expansion,
Like gold to airy thinness
beat.
•
Logical syllogism
•
Paradox
•
Break
•
paradox
Metaphysical Conceit
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
do.
And though it in the center sit,
Yet when the other far doth
roam,
It leans and hearkens after it,
And grows erect, as that comes
home
•
Metaphysical conceit
•
Part of the compass that
creates the middle of the circle
•
Donne’s trip to France; he is
the roving foot that traces the
circle
•
pun
Metaphysical Conceit
Such wilt thou be to me
,
who must,
Like th' other foot,
obliquely run;
Thy firmness makes my
circle just
,
And makes me end
where I begun.
•
Making conceit explicit
•
Circle is a traditional
symbol of perfection;
just as in “justified”
•
Speaker will return to
his wife
Writing Assignment
•
Because metaphysical conceits draw
comparisons between unrelated or
oppositional things, they are very difficult to
create. In a 1-2 page response, explain how
Donne uses various literary devices to
successfully construct a metaphysical conceit
in “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning.”
Include an introduction, applicable literary
terms, and literary analysis (why/how)
Explore the life and works of John Donne, a renowned English poet known for his metaphysical poetry and exploration of love in its various forms. From his early carnal poems to his religious sonnets, delve into the complexities of Donne's poetic genius and his unique use of metaphysical conceits to convey profound ideas about love, death, and spirituality.
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Presentation Transcript
A Valediction Forbidding Mourning Or, why Geometry is sexy
John Donne Born 1572 English recusant Catholicism Donne himself converted to Anglicanism 1584 Donne entered Hart Hall, Oxford, Law student for two or more years. Secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, the lord keeper of England. Fell in love with Ann More; secretly married 1601 Took holy orders 12 children Died 1631, probably from stomach cancer
Metaphysical Poetry Three stages of Donne s lyric poetry Young Jack Donne : carnal ( The Flea ) Neoplatonic ideal of love ( Valediction Mourning ) Dr. Donne s religious poetry (Holy Sonnets)
Context Biographer Izaak Walton Donne left for a diplomatic mission to France. Wife was pregnant and sick and asked him to stay in England urged him not to go Donne felt an obligation to the expedition s leader, Sir Robert Drury.
Two Days in Paris Donne has a vision of his wife walking around with a dead child Messenger later returned with news the child had indeed died
Syllogistic Argument Specific audience (here, his wife) Raises an issue Explicates issue Proceeds to explain why issue isn t the way she sees it
Metaphysical Conceit Extended metaphor that compares two very different things Often accomplished through use of imagery Two items being compared yoked together by violence Love like a geometric compass
Other items of note Use of paradox Allusions Complex structural forms
Color Coding Red: definitions or parsing Aqua: Major themes, literary devices, points of analysis
Sacred Love die peacefully As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say The breath goes now, and some say, No: Shift in POV 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. Hyperbole and imagery
Hyperbolic Imagery Earthquakes Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears, Men reckon what it did, and meant; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent. Ptolemaic astronomy planets shook but people couldn t feel it Cosmic imagery and hyperbole
Proof by Contradiction Under the moon, so variable Are focused on physical sensation Dull sublunary lovers' love (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit Absence, because it doth remove Those things which elemented it. But we by a love so much refined, That our selves know not what it is, Inter-assur d of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss. Shift in POV; indicates their love is more spiritual and therefore more lasting Importance of mental over physical
Logical Syllogism Logical syllogism Paradox Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to airy thinness beat. Break paradox
Metaphysical Conceit Metaphysical conceit 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 do. Part of the compass that creates the middle of the circle And though it in the center sit, Yet when the other far doth roam, It leans and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home Donne s trip to France; he is the roving foot that traces the circle pun
Metaphysical Conceit Making conceit explicit Such wilt thou be to me, who must, Like th' other foot, obliquely run; Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun. Circle is a traditional symbol of perfection; just as in justified Speaker will return to his wife
Writing Assignment Because metaphysical conceits draw comparisons between unrelated or oppositional things, they are very difficult to create. In a 1-2 page response, explain how Donne uses various literary devices to successfully construct a metaphysical conceit in A Valediction Forbidding Mourning. Include an introduction, applicable literary terms, and literary analysis (why/how)
