Metaphysical Poetry

By King Meera -
Here are the notes on Metaphysical Poetry, long overdue.

So Sushma ma’am named Andrew Marvell, Abraham Cowley, John Donne, George Herbert and Henry Vaughan as the Metaphysical poets.

“Metaphysical” refers to the phenomena that are intangible, not measurable and philosophical but not entirely spiritual or religious.
Ma’am stressed on the importance of mileu, social, historical and political background or CONTEXT in the proper analysis or understanding of any poetry, just as of metaphysical poetry.

“Why were they called metaphysical poets?”
  • Had in common, as per Samuel Johnson, “Discordia Concors”
  • Concepts that are vastly different but still somehow go together.
  • brought together combinations of dissimilar elements and showed uncanny similarity
Ma'am explained discordia concors using the beautiful example of black and white - they are said in the same breath, while being polar opposites - one couldn't possibly understand the concept of one without knowledge of the other.

Metaphysical conceit:
  • conceit = a step beyond a hyperbole; hyperbole = over exaggeration
  • based on discordia concors
  • witty, but unusual comparison
  • a vast abstraction
Criticisms:
  • Dryden criticized Donne
  • Samuel Johnson responded to Cowley in The Lives of the Poets
Metaphysical poetry is considered an attempt to flout norms. There are no soothing tones, no soft, gentle, Romantic descriptions in metaphysical poetry - it is plain arrogant, and very argumentative. It was not accepted by the contemporary society.

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