OPPapers.com Essay Index >> English >> John Donne
We have many free term papers and essays on John Donne. We also have a wide variety of research papers and book reports available to you for free. You can browse our collection of term papers or use our search engine.
John Donne. John Donne was born in London, England, sometime during end of 1571
or between January and June 19[2] in 1572, the third of six children. ...
John Donne. Sean Grayson English Essay on John Donne John Donne, a master
at his work, was born some time during the year 1572. The ...
Unchartered Territory: A Discussion Of Originality In The Works Of The
17th Century Poets John Donne And John Milton. Unchartered ...
John Donne. Outline I. Introduction ... Forbidding Mourning (Wikipedia). John Donne was
born in the year 1572 to a prominent Roman Catholic family in London. ...
John Donne as a metaphysical poet. ... The last decade of the sixteenth century presents
also, in the poems of John Donne, a new and very strange style of verse. ...
Submitted by devisweet on July 8, 2006
Category: English
Words: 6880 | Pages: 28
Views: 405
Popularity Rank: 21,719
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)
JOHN DONNE
John Donne (1572-1631) is credited with the honour of being the poet who broke the Petrarchan tradition in England and created a new mode of poetry. Rather than a complete breach, Donne's poetry is a widening of the scope of the Elizabethan tradition. He implements already existing modes in every aspect: new metrical schemes (although he will return to the sonnet in his last works), a rich and original imagery, a colloquial, conversational tone, and a mingling of intellect and passion which disconcerted his contemporaries: he and his followers were labeled as "metaphysical poets." Not that Donne's poems have any philosophical intention: his themes are the traditional ones, although renewed by a new attitude: love, religious feeling, satire.The love poems correspond roughly to the early period of his career. He abandons the rigid Elizabethan conventions, which sprung from Petrarchism, and adds realism, sincerity, psychological penetration and a great variety of moods enhanced with images taken from every field of experience. Some of his love poems are harsh and cynical; others are nearly ecstatic, and celebrate love as the supreme thing in the world. The most famous among these are "The Sun Rising," "The Dreame" and "The Good-Morrow".
Love as the supreme experience suggests to Donne connections between it and other aspects of reality: everything can be used to try to describe an ineffable feeling. His imagery ranges from the vulgar to the sublime, from daily activities to old scientific theories; it may be of a deplorable bad taste or combine sheer originality with beauty and accuracy. It is never ornamental: the poet seems to think that sensation must be subordinated to thought. Much the same happens with the sound pattern of his poems, which is very far away from the smoothness of previous poets. Rhythm is secondary; at its best, it merely helps to underline ideas. One is going to examine in the first place those figures of speech that...
You must Login to view the entire paper.
If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free!