Donne is firmly within the camp of metaphysical poets–those poets for whom considerations of the spiritual world were paramount compared to all earthly considerations. While a master of metaphysical expression, Donne achieves this mastery by refusing to deny the place of the physical world and its passions. He often begins with a seemingly carnal image only to turn it into an argument for the supremacy of God and the immortality of the soul.
Donne’s poetry falls most simply into two categories: those works composed and published prior to his entering the ministry, and those which follow his taking up the call to serve God. While many of his later poems are certainly more in the metaphysical vein that Donne has become famous for, it is nonetheless a matter of little debate that his work has a certain continuity. There is no sharp division of style or poetic ability between the two phases of Donne’s literary career. Instead, it is only the emphasis of subject matter that changes. Donne is ever concerned with matters of the heart, be they between a man and a woman or between a man and his Creator. It is in his later poetry that Donne most often fuses the two into a seemingly paradoxical combination of physical and spiritual that gives light to our understanding of both.
- Author: John Donne.
- Publisher: New Kitab Mahal.
