John Donne Summary

Biography EssayJohn Donne's standing as a great English poet, and one of the greatest of all writers of English prose, is now assured. However, it has been confirmed only in the present century. The h... Read more

John Donne 's standing as a great English poet, and one of the greatest writers of English prose, is now assured. However, it has been confirmed only in the present century. The history of Donne's rep... Read more

In the following essay, originally published in 1978, Aers and Kress examine Donne's representation of self in several verse epistles from Letters to Severall Personages. The epistles studied a... Read more

In the following essay, Klause examines how Donne uses the concept of miracles and alchemy—the science of changing matter into gold—in his elaborate, sometimes satirical metaphysical con... Read more

In the following essay, Halewood provides a detailed reading of Donne's poem, “Goodfriday, 1613. Riding Westward” and suggests that the poem does not achieve closure, but remains ... Read more

In the following essay, Beaston examines the tension between modern readers' expectations and Donne's intent in the Holy Sonnets, arguing that the Sonnets dramatize the medieval concept ... Read more

In the following essay, DiPasquale explores the theme of atheism in Donne's poem, “Farewell to Love,” from Songs and Sonnets. Donne's “Farewell to Love” is... Read more

In the following essay, Young examines Donne's complex and ironic treatment of love in his poetry, focusing on “The Bracelet,” “Loves Growth,” “The Sunne Risi... Read more

In the following essay, first published in 1990, Guibbory focuses his discussion of Donne's love poetry on the poet's often grotesque or negative images of the female body. For modern... Read more

In the following essay, Schoenfeldt considers the theme of sacrifice as developed by post-Reformation religious poets, including Donne, suggesting that seventeenth-century writers imagined sacrifice a... Read more

In the following essay, Gorton employs contemporary theories of cosmology and physics as a context for understanding Donne's poetry. Donne's writing shows he was fascinated by new dis... Read more

In the following essay, Fish argues that in his poetry Donne exercises the power of language to dominate and control. ‘my Feigned Page’ For a very long time I was unable to teach Donn... Read more

In the following essay, Trevor examines Donne's lifelong melancholy, or depression, as an integral part of his religious beliefs. Donne is in a sense a psychologist. —T. S. Eliot ... Read more

In the following essay, Erne focuses on the poem “Show me deare Christ” as evidence of Donne's feelings about Catholicism. The life of John Donne is more fully documented than ... Read more

In the following essay, Gorton discusses Donne’s sense of place, use of space, and spatial imagery in “The Sunne Rising,” “Breake of Day,” “A Valediction: For... Read more

In the following essay, Raman analyzes s Donne's complex use of money, gender, and colonialist discourse in three erotic poems—“Loves Progress,” “Going to Bed,ȁ... Read more

In the following essay, Klause examines how Donne uses the concept of miracles and alchemy—the science of changing matter into gold—in his elaborate, sometimes satirical metaphysical con... Read more

In the following essay, Halewood provides a detailed reading of Donne's poem, “Goodfriday, 1613. Riding Westward” and suggests that the poem does not achieve closure, but remains ... Read more

In the following essay, Beaston examines the tension between modern readers' expectations and Donne's intent in the Holy Sonnets, arguing that the Sonnets dramatize the medieval concept ... Read more

In the following essay, DiPasquale explores the theme of atheism in Donne's poem, “Farewell to Love,” from Songs and Sonnets. Donne's “Farewell to Love” is... Read more

Since the publication of his `Songs and Sonets' in 1663, the intellectual wittiness of John Donne's love poetry has caused much speculation about the views of the poet himself. Donne took the traditio... Read more

Donne and Hopkins are both poets who have written works which contain love, yet at a glance it is apparent that their poems have quite a different approach to love. Hopkins' poems reserve their love f... Read more

Poetry of the seventeenth century is among some of the best ever written, however, there is more uncertainty when dealing with particular subjects. The topics, for the most part, are more serious and ... Read more

"The Broken Heart" by poet John Donne reveals the speaker's experiences and his consequent attitude towards a personified love, through his sophisticated appliances of language, imagery and form. The... Read more

John Donne is known as one of the best metaphysical poet. He uses metaphoric conceit in lots of his writings. Metaphoric conceit is comparing two incredibly unlike things to one another. In John Donne... Read more

Division of the Body and Soul John Donne's "The Funeral" and "Holy Sonnet 3" are undeniably similar in their discussions of the separation of the body and soul. Each poem deals directly with the ide... Read more