Thinking Activity : History Of Puritan and Restoration Age

 Thinking Activity

                     History of Puritan and Restoration Age

• John Donne - (Metaphysical Poet)- Puritan Age

                               

            Introduction : 

                            

              

              By the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century the great Elizabethan poetry had lost its charm. Everything was conventional and artificial. In the beginning of the 17th century, there was a revolt against the outdated Elizabethan poetry. The leader of this revolt was John Donne. John Donne was born on 22 January 1572 and died on 31 March 1631. He was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary. He was born into a recusant family. He was the leader and founder of the metaphysical school of poetry. Donne disciples like George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, Henry Maugham, Andrew Marvell joined him. 

•    The important features of this poetry are as under -

• Obscurity 

• Rebel in poetry

• Blending of passion and thought

• Wit

• Display of learning

• Far-fetched images, conceit and similes

• Absurdity and hyperbole

• Rejection of women worship

• Obscurity

          

             Another important feature of metaphysical poetry is its obscurity. In metaphysical poetry we come across obscure references and the vast learning is twisted in such a manner that it becomes difficult to follow what the poet really intends to say. There is no freshness of thought and accuracy of description, nor their words are chosen carefully. Even after reading and re-reading it. It is not clear in the mind of the reader what the poet really intends to say. Metaphysical poetry is as difficult to understand as Browning. It remains a grand puzzle to the readers. 

 

  Dr Johnson encountered the metaphysical poets because of the habit, common to this school of poets, of always seeking to express something after. Something behind the simple obvious first sense of a subject.

• Rebel in poetry

               

         John Donne was a rebel in poetry. He did not follow the contemporary conventional significant characteristic of metaphysical poetry. Metaphysical poets did not follow contemporary conventional poetry. They did accept the conversational Verse forms of rhyme of rhythms and other features of the Spenserians. They did not accept Spenser as a model poet. They made many innovations in matter and form of poetry. They discarded the heavily brocaded language of Spenser. But they adopted a colloquial language and rough metre. Thus they tried to rebel against the conventional poetry of their time.

• Blending  of passion and thoughts

    

   Blending of passion and thought is another characteristic of metaphysical poetry. We find a splendid blend of passing and thought in Donne poetry. It is the distinguishing quality that is ever at the service of their passion. Their passion enters into their thought; this is the main quality of metaphysical poetry. It is a successful union of passion and thought, ingenuity and wit. The mood and the sun is called, "busy old fool, unruly sun, saucy pedantic wretch", etc. While Donne is in a passionate mood, he takes recourse to wit or conceit which, sometimes, seem to be highly fantastic and exaggerated.

• Wit

  

            Wit is one of the most significant features of the metaphysical poetry of all persuasive qualities of the metaphysical poetry. It reveals the genius of the metaphysical poets. They preserve their feelings and thoughts in the dress of wit. The metaphysical poetry was purely intellectual. Donne was the great Metaphysical poet who fought his followers to indulge in criticism in poetry.  John Donne's poem "The sun rising" is full of wit . John Donne has been regarded as the monarch of wit. 

• Display of learning

 

         Display of learning is the chief characteristic of metaphysical poetry. The metaphysical poets were men of learning and to show their learning was their chief object in writing poetry. They desired to be admired for reading rather than understanding. While reading the poems of John Donne and Cowley. We sometimes feel that they wrote poetry simply to show their knowledge in geography, science, medicine, navigation and classical mythology.

 

• Far-fetched images , similes and metaphor

  

          The metaphysical poetry is full of fur-fetched similes and metaphor. The Far-fetched similes and metaphors are commonly called "conceits". Conceit is an instrument by which a metaphysical poet reveals his wit. For example Donne's poem,  "The sun rising" is full of metaphysical conceits.

          Dr Johnson points out :

              "A metaphysical poetry has a combination of dissimilar images or discovery of occult resemblances in things apparently unlike".

               The metaphysical poets introduced far-fetched images which could not be easily understood by the reader. Donne was the great metaphysical poet who taught his followers to indulge in conceits and criticism in poetry.

   

        Thus , In the metaphysical poems we come across far-fetched images, similar and metaphor.

• Absurdity and Hyperbole

 

              The images and ideas of the metaphysical poet's bear the stamp of absurdity and hyperbole. Cowley was one of his poet's compared different women to to travel through different countries. The metaphysical poets had a craze for writing strange things. New ,so absurdities and metaphors appear very often in their writing. In the opinion of Dr. Johnson the metaphysical poet's left not only reason but fancy behind them. They tried to combine the remote with the new and the spiritual with the physical. So it is said that in metaphysical poetry there is very little that makes an appeal to the heart.

       Thus ,we can say that metaphysical poetry passes absurdity and Hyperbole.

• Rejection of woman worship

 

                     Rejection of women worship is one of the important characteristics of metaphysical poetry. Metaphysical poetry also rejects the cult of women worship. Instead of regarding women as goddess of beauty. They represented them simply as fickle and faithless creatures of flesh and blood. They entered into the enclosed garden of Elizabethan Love poetry. Like angry gardeners they pulled up the withered trees of grey color flowers and planted the seeds of fresh odd-looking flowers.

     

•    conclusion 

 

             The metaphysical poetry was religious poetry. It came into existence in sharp reaction to the Spenserians poetry. John Donne was the leader and founder of the metaphysical school of poetry. George Herbert , Richard Crashaw , Abraham Cowley , Andrew metaphysical poets tried to give something new and different.

 Thank You.