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JohnDonneSelectedReading:TheFleaHolySonnet10JohnDonne’sPortraitat23WomancatchingFleaMetaphysicalPoetry•Thetermmetaphysicalisusedtodesignatetheworkof17th-centurywriterswhowerepartofaschoolofpoetsusingsimilarmethodsandwhorevoltedagainsttheromanticconventionalismofElizabethanlovepoetry,inparticularthePetrarchanconceit.Itincludesacertainanti-feministtradition.•JohnDonnewastheacknowledgedleaderofthepoetstodayidentifiedasmetaphysical(thoughtheythemselveswouldnothaveusedtheterm,norhaveconsideredthemselvestoconstituteaschoolofpoetry).•Noexactlistofmetaphysicalpoetscanbedrawnup.SomewereProtestantreligiousmystics,likeHerbert,VaughanandTraherne;someCatholic,likeCrashaw;onewasanAmericanclergyman,EdwardTaylor.Whilelesseasilyassimilatable,Marvellsharescertainaffinitieswiththemetaphysicalpoets.Themetaphysicalsarepopularwithmodernreadersbecauseoftheirrealism,theirintellectualism,andtheirbreakwiththeirimmediateliterarypast.characteristics(1)•atendencytopsychologicalanalysisofemotionofloveandreligion•apenchant(“hobby”)forimagerythatisnovel,unpoeticalandsometimesshocking,drawnfromthecommonplace(actuallife)ortheremote(eruditesources),includingtheextendedmetaphorofthemetaphysicalconceit•simplediction(comparedtoElizabethanpoetry)whichechoesthecadencesofeverydayspeechCharacteristics(2)•meter:oftenrugged,notsweetorsmoothlikeElizabethanverse.ThisruggednessgoesnaturallywiththeMetaphysicalpoets'attitudeandpurpose:abeliefintheperplexity(“mess,chaos”)oflife,aspiritofrevolt,andtheputtingofanargumentinspeechratherthansong.•form:frequentlyanargument(withthepoet'slover;withGod;withoneself)•Thebestmetaphysicalpoetryishonest,unconventional,andrevealsthepoet'ssenseofthecomplexitiesandcontradictionsoflife.Itisintellectual,analytical,psychological,andbold;frequentlyitisabsorbedinthoughtsofdeath,physicallove,andreligiousdevotion.metaphysicalconceit（博喻）•A“metaphysicalconceit”isafar-fetchedandingeniousextendedcomparison(or“conceit”)usedbymetaphysicalpoetstoexploreallareasofknowledge.Itfindstellingandunusualanalogiesforthepoet‘sideasinthestartlinglyesoteric（深奥的）ortheshockinglycommonplace--nottheusualstuffofpoeticmetaphor.FamousExamples•Itisoftengrotesqueandextravagant,e.g.Crashaw'scomparisonofMaryMagdalene'stear-filledeyesasTwowalkingbaths;twoweepingmotions/Portableandcompendiousoceans.Donne'scomparisonofhisunionwithhislovertothedraftsman'scompassinAValediction:ForbiddingMourningismoresuccessfulbecauseitgivesusaperceptionofarealbutpreviouslyunsuspectedsimilaritythatisthereforeenlightening.TheSourcesofConceits•Typicalmetaphysicalconceitscomefromawidevarietyofareasofknowledge:coins(mintage);alchemy;medievalphilosophyandangelology(seee.g.Donne'sAirandAngels”);meteorology(sighsareblasts,tearsarefloods);mythology(thePhoenix'sriddle,theriverStyx);government(sheisthestate,heisthePrincefromDonne'sTheSunRising);travelling(Donne'sGoandCatchaFallingStar);astronomy;metallurgy(goldtoairythinnessbeat);geometry(thetwincompasses);law;geography.Overallexplanation(1)•Fleaswereapopularsubjectforjocose[humorous]andamatory[love]poetryinallcountriesattheRenaissance.Theirpopularitystemsfromaneventthathappenedinaliterarysalon(aplacewherepoetsandotherscametorecitepoetryandconverse).Thesalonwasrunbytwoladies,andonoccasionafleahappenedtolandupononelady'sbreast.Thepoetswereamazedatthecreature'saudacity,andwereinspiredtowritepoetryaboutthebeast.Itsoonbecamefashionableamongpoetstowritepoemsaboutfleas.Overallexplanation(2)•Inthispoem,theIofthepoemislyinginbedwithhislover,andtryingtogethertogivehervirginitytohim.(Itcould,ofcourse,quiteeasilybeaFEMALEItryingtoseduceaMALE,butIwillstickwithoneforconvenience).Whilelyingthere,henoticesaflea,whichhasobviouslybittenthemboth.Sincethe17-centuryideawasofsexasaminglingoftheblood,herealisesthatbymixingtheirbloodstogetherinitsbody,thefleahasdonewhatshedidn'tdaretodo.Overallexplanation(3)•Then,heargues,sincethefleahasdoneit,whyshouldn'tthey?Tobackuphisargument,hereferstothemarriageceremony,whichstatesthatmanandwomanshallbeoneflesh.Hearguesthatsincetheyhavemingledtheirbloodsandarethereforeoneblood,theyarepracticallyonefleshandarethereforemarried!Overallexplanation(4)•Then,heargues,sincethefleahasdoneit,whyshouldn'tthey?Tobackuphisargument,hereferstothemarriageceremony,whichstatesthatmanandwomanshallbeoneflesh.Hearguesthatsincetheyhavemingledtheirbloodsandarethereforeoneblood,theyarepracticallyonefleshandarethereforemarried!Overallexplanation(5)•However,thefleafinallyiskilled,andthepoetisforcedtochangetactics.There,heargues,killingthefleawaseasy,andasyousayithasn'tharmedus-well,yieldingtomewillbejustaseasyandpainless.•Thispoemborrowsalotofreligiousimagery,becauseithelpsaddanaburdauthoritytothepoem,asDonnetriestoarguethatwhattheyareabouttodoisnotonlysupportedbyGod,buttonotdoitwouldbeheretical.PoeticDevices•Directaddress:Markebutthisflea...•Repetition:Andmarkeinthis•Conceits:FleaChurchFleaMovementWithinthePoem•Firststanza:Contemplativeandwhimsical•Secondstanza:Becomesmoreabsurd,pacegetsfaster•Thirdstanza:Slowingandreversalofargument.•Notagoodide