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#17 Metaphysical Poetry | Poetry

#17 Metaphysical Poetry | Poetry

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Overview

This video explores the phenomenon of Metaphysical Poetry in the 17th century, examining its historical and literary contexts. It introduces key practitioners like John Donne, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, and Andrew Marvell, and traces the evolution of the concept through critics such as William Drummond, John Dryden, Dr. Samuel Johnson, H. J. C. Grierson, T. S. Eliot, and George Williamson. The lecture details the defining features of metaphysical poetry, including its intellectual wit, paradoxical nature, use of conceits, colloquial language, and argumentative style. It analyzes examples from Abraham Cowley, John Donne, and Andrew Marvell, highlighting how critical interpretations, initially negative, evolved to appreciate these poetic characteristics. The video concludes by emphasizing the blend of thought and feeling, or 'unified sensibility,' as a core element, contrasting it with the 'dissociation of sensibility' that Eliot observed later.

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Chapters

  • •Metaphysical poetry emerged in the 17th century.
  • •The video will cover historical and literary contexts, key poets, and the evolution of the concept.
  • •Key historical events include the formation of the East India Company, the reign of James I and Charles I, religious conferences, the Gunpowder Plot, scientific discoveries like Harvey's circulation of blood, civil wars, and the establishment of the Royal Society.
  • •The literary context marks a transition from Elizabethan to Jacobean poetry, with the significant publication of the King James Bible.
  • •Prominent practitioners include John Donne, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Abraham Cowley, Andrew Marvell, Richard Crashaw, and even John Milton (though not strictly metaphysical).
  • •Poets are categorized by ruling monarchs (Jacobean, Caroline) and affiliations (Cavalier poets supporting monarchy).
  • •Many poets were also priest-poets, writing both secular and religious verse.
  • •The rise of popular sermons by figures like Lancelot Andrews and John Donne is noted.
  • •The term 'metaphysical' was initially used pejoratively.
  • •William Drummond (1630) objected to 'metaphysical ideas' and extreme imagery.
  • •John Dryden (1693) noted Donne 'affects the metaphysics,' referring to his use of scientific terms and obscure arguments.
  • •Dr. Samuel Johnson (18th century), in his 'Life of Abraham Cowley,' described the style negatively as 'discordia concors' – a yoking of dissimilar images by violence.
  • •Johnson viewed metaphysical poetry as a display of learning, far-fetched comparisons, and a lack of feeling.
  • •He defined wit as a combination of dissimilar images or occult resemblances.
  • •Johnson's phrase 'the most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together' became a defining characteristic.
  • •An example from Abraham Cowley's 'The Heart Breaking' illustrates the juxtaposition of disparate images like serpent, love, poison, remedy, monarch, and tyrant.
  • •H. J. C. Grierson's 1921 anthology, 'Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the Seventeenth Century,' significantly revived interest.
  • •T. S. Eliot reviewed Grierson's work, noting a 'unified sensibility' – a blend of thought and feeling in poets like Donne.
  • •Eliot contrasted this with a 'dissociation of sensibility' observed later in the 17th century.
  • •Grierson classified metaphysical poetry, focusing on intellectual, witty, argumentative, subtle, passionate, thoughtful, and exotic features.
  • •George Williamson identified 'wit' as the crux of metaphysical poetry, defining it in various ways (e.g., embodiment of thought).
  • •Wit manifests in 'conceits' – far-fetched and shocking combinations of disparate elements.
  • •Metaphysical poetry is seen as a revolt against Elizabethan conventions, being more complex, sensuous, and intellectual.
  • •Characteristics include colloquial and conversational language, use of imperatives, intellectual wit, paradox, and logical argumentation.
  • •John Donne's 'The Flea' exemplifies the use of a common, even unpleasant, image (a flea) to support an argument about love and union.
  • •W. Bradford Smith defines metaphysical poetry as a 'paradoxical inquiry' using antithesis, contradiction, and unusual imagery to explore love, death, and religion.
  • •Smith highlights striking metaphorical utterance and the use of common or scientific words.
  • •Smith cites Andrew Marvell's 'my vegetable love' and the 'metaphysical shudder' related to the awareness of death as examples.
  • •Cleanth Brooks, in 'The Well-Wrought Urn,' emphasizes the paradoxical language of poetry.
  • •Brooks argues that paradox is essential for poets like Donne to express complex ideas, such as lovers being canonized like saints.
  • •The lecture summarized the historical/literary context, key poets, critical evolution, and defining features (wit, paradox, imagery, language).
  • •Recommended readings include T.S. Eliot's 'The Metaphysical Poets' and W. Bradford Smith's 'What is Metaphysical Poetry?'

Key Takeaways

  1. 1Metaphysical poetry is a 17th-century movement characterized by intellectual complexity, wit, and unconventional imagery.
  2. 2The term 'metaphysical' was initially critical, describing a style that yoked dissimilar ideas, but later became a positive descriptor.
  3. 3Key poets like John Donne, George Herbert, and Andrew Marvell used 'conceits' – elaborate and surprising comparisons – to explore themes of love, religion, and mortality.
  4. 4The poetry often employs colloquial language, paradox, and logical argumentation, inviting the reader into an intellectual and emotional experience.
  5. 5Critics like Samuel Johnson initially condemned the style for its perceived lack of feeling and excessive wit, while later critics like T.S. Eliot and H.J.C. Grierson championed its 'unified sensibility' and intellectual depth.
  6. 6The historical context of the 17th century, marked by scientific discovery, religious upheaval, and political change, influenced the intellectual and often argumentative nature of metaphysical poetry.
  7. 7Metaphysical poetry represents a significant departure from Elizabethan poetic conventions, offering a more complex, sensuous, and intellectually rigorous approach to verse.
  8. 8The blend of thought and feeling, or 'unified sensibility,' is a hallmark, where intellectual concepts are experienced sensuously and emotionally.
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