John Donne Essay

The literary heritages of John Donne are famous for their style that distinguishes them from poems of his age, particularly his attachment to sensuality and reality. He is in fact considered to be a ‘metaphysical poet’, and recognized to be ahead of his contemporaries. One of his most notable collections are the Holy Sonnets, which is a reflection of his a primarily religious life. (Stubbs, 2006) The innovative use of language and metaphors are what distinguishes the works of John Donne; he has produced a wide collection of poems, satires, sonnets, translations, and other literary works. The life and struggles of John Donne reflects the rich and meaningful body of literature that he has produced. He was born to a rich family, yet poverty was common for him, as he went to a period of persecution during his process of transfer of devotion to the Anglican Church. He eventually became an Anglican priest, which is said to have considerably influence the writings in the latter years of his life, when he wrote poems and sermons. (Bald, 1970) He became known for a style, which would be known as metaphysical, and often, his work is dubbed as metaphysical conceit, as he cleverly unifies two vastly dissimilar ideas. The most common subjects of his literature are death, love and religion; he employs the use of irony, witty-ness, and cynicism. (Stubbs, 2006) This metaphysical form of literature would refer to the passion for life and pleasures, yet much regard for the emotional dimension. John Donne marked the evolution to a more personal poetry from the classical forms before his time. The early poetry of Donne is mainly criticisms of the problems of the English society during that time, as Britain was plagued by corruption and pretensions of its citizenry and nobility. He used colorful imagery to create satires of this reality of his time, but eventually, he moved on to the topic of religion, which shows that Donne lived a religious life, as he converts from Catholicism to being a devoted Anglican. Donne also produced substantial amount of love poetry, which is said to be addressed to his wife, who died after giving birth to their twelfth child. The poems written at the later stage of the life of John Donne has a more pious and somber tone to them. His poems began to take on a gloomy tone, as he writes about more serious things; for instance, his poem in memory of Elizabeth Drury, symbolizes destruction and the fall of man. (Greenblatt, 2006) Increasingly, he moved towards more religious topics, which exhibited this gloomy nature. The motivation for this shift to religious poems and sermons is his conversion to the Anglican Church, which marked a step to maturity and change in his writing style. These sermons and poems would later on influence English poets and future literature. Towards the conclusion of his fruitful and dynamic life, the focus of Donne’s work shifted to death, as he nears his own death. His works explores this topic, and how humans fear this inevitable occurrence, and the eventual accent to heaven following one’s death. He delivered the sermon Death’s Duel from his deathbed, which shows suffering and pain, yet also salvation and hope. (Bald, 1970) He died in 1631. The literature of John Donne is impressive indeed, and each piece of literature reflects his life and the society that is revolving around him. His work is wide-ranging, from love to death to religion; each shows passion, emotion, and reality. The metaphysical nature of his poems influences the future of English literature, as he cleverly used metaphors, imagery, and language. References Bald, RC. (1970). John Donne: A Life. United States: Oxford University Press. Donne, John. (2006). John Donne’s Poetry. Donald Dickson, Ed. United States: W. W. Norton and Company. Greenblatt, Stephen. (2006). The Norton Anthology of English Literature. United Kingdom: W. W. Norton and Company. Stubbs, John. (2006). Donne: The Reformed Soul. United States: Viking Books. Targoff, Ramie. (2008). John Donne, Body and Soul. United States: University of Chicago Press.