Metaphysical poets Flashcards
Who coined the term “metaphysical poets,” and when?
Samuel Johnson; 1779
“Rather as beholders than partakers of human nature; as beings looking upon good and evil, impassive and at leisure; as Epicurean deities making remarks on the actions of men and the vicissitudes of life, without interest and without emotion.” Who is the quote about? Who said it?
The metaphysical poets; Samuel Johnson
“The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together; nature and art are ransacked for illustrations, comparisons, and allusions; their learning instructs and their subtlety surprises; but the reader commonly thinks his improvement dearly bought, and, though he sometimes admires, is seldom pleased.” Who is the quote about? Who said it?
The metaphysical poets; Samuel Johnson
Their wish was “only to say what they hoped had been never said before.” Who is the quote about? Who said it?
The metaphysical poets; Samuel Johnson
OED: “Poetry that expresses emotion in an intellectual context” What poetry is the OED describing?
Metaphysical poetry
What word does More use to describe parliament, in the sense of “supersubtle, supernatural and specious”?
“Metaphysical”
How does Lady Macbeth use the word “metaphysical”?
Kill the king by “fate and metaphysical aid.”
To those who originally accused poets like Donne of being “metaphysical,” the suggestion of unintelligible and quibbling argumentation would have connected Donne et al with which pre-humanist thinkers?
Scholastics
He “affects the metaphysics, not only in his satires, but in his amorous verses, where nature only should reign.” Who said this, and about whom?
Dryden; Donne
What poetry is characterized by the inventive use of conceits, and by speculation about topics such as love or religion?
Metaphysical
Discuss wit in metaphysical poets
The specific definition of wit which Johnson applied to the school was: “… a kind of discordia concors; a combination of dissimilar images, or discovery of occult resemblances in things apparently unlike.”
What are metaphysical conceits?
far-fetched or unusual similes or metaphors, such as in Andrew Marvell’s comparison of the soul with a drop of dew; or Donne’s description of the effects of absence on lovers to the action of a pair of compasses.
How did metaphysical poetry diverge from the style of its time?
less dependent on conventional images of nature or allusions to classical mythology.
Instead, their work relies on images and references to the contemporary scientific or geographical discoveries.
How was metaphysical poetry influenced by neo-platonism?
One of the primary Platonic concepts found in metaphysical poetry is the idea that the perfection of beauty in the beloved acted as a remembrance of perfect beauty in the eternal realm. [Though I think this might be reversed in “The Good Morrow”]
Interrogate the label of “metaphysical poets”
They weren’t formally affiliated; most of them did not know one another or read one another’s work. There’s also great diversity between them stylistically. [I still think there’s an important shared theme, which is a lot of conscious interaction with contemporary advances in science and epistemology; this theme would require taking in Milton.] It has been suggested that calling them Baroque poets would be more useful. T.S. Eliot’s praise of metaphysical poets helped cement their group identity, but his criticism focused on more conservative Anglo-Catholics rather than, say, Milton. This allowed the New Critics to depoliticize the 17th century and focus on the words on the page.
What poet might be said to invoke Petrarchan and Neo-Platonic ideas of love even while challenging those idea? An example of such a challenge?
John Donne; can be distanced and detached from the pursuits of love, as opposed to Petrarch who is endlessly yearning, devoted, submissive, and frustrated
Name some of Donne’s overarching ideas
Intense analysis of human experience: desire for love, purging of sin, defeating mortality, erotic desire; playful use of logical quibbles as in “The Flea”; the discoveries and disruptions of exploration, natural philosophy, etc; Man’s and Woman’s love and their power in love.
What year does John Donne elope with Anne More?
1601
Who was imprisoned briefly and barred from employment, but eventually found secure employment in the holy orders of the Church of England? What year did he take these orders?
John Donne; 1615
What poet’s work was almost entirely distributed in manuscript until it was published in 1633, two years after his death?
John Donne
John Donne was alive
1572-1631
