Renaissance Poetry John Donne 1572 1631 Metaphysical Poetry
- Slides: 9
Renaissance Poetry John Donne 1572 -1631 Metaphysical Poetry Prose
METAPHYSICAL (p. 506 -507) w What is the definition of metaphysical? – “of or relating to the transcendent” – “reality beyond what is perceptible” – “abstract and theoretical reasoning”
METAPHYSICAL w Transcendent– Extending beyond the limits of ordinary experience and knowledge w Theoretical– Abstract, confined to speculation (ponder the possibility rather than able to demonstrate) w Devotional– Religious w Mystical– Spiritual communication with God
METAPHYSICAL (p. 506 -507) w What is the goal/purpose of the metaphysical poets? – The expression of feeling and spiritual devotion through techniques often associated with prose (argument, rhetoric, logic) rather than poetry. – To experiment with language in an attempt to represent the complexity of life
METAPHYSICAL (p. 506 -507) w What are the key characteristics of metaphysical poetry? – – – Simple vocabulary Metaphysical conceits Inconsistent poetic meter Witty word play Use of logic/reasoning Set up as an argument, uses rhetorical devices
METAPHYSICAL (p. 506 -507) w What were the primary criticisms made about the metaphysics? – – Use poetry just to “show off” knowledge Uses logic where emotion should rule Difficult to understand Disrupts poetic meter
COMPARE/CONTRAST Complete the chart ELIZABETHAN w Ornamental diction w Natural images w Heartfelt emotion w Regular meter w Focus on love and nature w Two-word paradoxes such as “Sweet Sorrow” w Uses comparisons considered “poetic” such as love to a rose or the sea METAPHYSICAL w w w Plain diction Unusual images Wit and intellect/logic Irregular meter Often about faith and death (even when about love) w Jarring and elaborate paradoxes such as love/hate w Use of metaphysical conceitsunexpected, more “intellectual” and less “poetical”
John Donne 1572 -1631 Biographical information Meditation 17 Holy Sonnet 10 A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
TERMS REVIEWMetaphysical Conceit w Definition w Explain the metaphysical conceit in the following: Other artists seek success, But she found it a deceptive goal. A steep bridge full of pain and stress, Hard to cross, and not worth the toll.
