1、John Donne,Selected Reading:The Flea Holy Sonnet 10,John Donnes Portrait at 23,Woman catching Flea,Metaphysical Poetry,The term “metaphysical“ is used to designate the work of 17th-century writers who were part of a school of poets using similar methods and who revolted against the romantic conventi
2、onalism of Elizabethan love poetry, in particular the Petrarchan conceit. It includes a certain anti-feminist tradition .,John Donne was the acknowledged leader of the poets today identified as “metaphysical“ (though they themselves would not have used the term, nor have considered themselves to con
3、stitute a “school“ of poetry). No exact list of “metaphysical poets“ can be drawn up. Some were Protestant religious mystics, like Herbert, Vaughan and Traherne; some Catholic, like Crashaw; one was an American clergyman, Edward Taylor. While less easily assimilatable, Marvell shares certain affinit
4、ies with the “metaphysical“ poets. The “metaphysicals“ are popular with modern readers because of their realism, their intellectualism, and their break with their immediate literary past.,characteristics (1),a tendency to psychological analysis of emotion of love and religion a penchant (“hobby”) fo
5、r imagery that is novel, “unpoetical“ and sometimes shocking, drawn from the commonplace (actual life) or the remote (erudite sources), including the extended metaphor of the “metaphysical conceit“ simple diction (compared to Elizabethan poetry) which echoes the cadences of everyday speech,Character
6、istics (2),meter: often rugged, not “sweet“ or smooth like Elizabethan verse. This ruggedness goes naturally with the Metaphysical poets attitude and purpose: a belief in the perplexity (“mess, chaos”) of life, a spirit of revolt, and the putting of an argument in speech rather than song. form: freq
7、uently an argument (with the poets lover; with God; with oneself) The best metaphysical poetry is honest, unconventional, and reveals the poets sense of the complexities and contradictions of life. It is intellectual, analytical, psychological, and bold; frequently it is absorbed in thoughts of deat
8、h, physical love, and religious devotion.,metaphysical conceit （博喻）,A “metaphysical conceit” is a far-fetched and ingenious extended comparison (or “conceit”) used by metaphysical poets to explore all areas of knowledge. It finds telling and unusual analogies for the poets ideas in the startlingly e
9、soteric（深奥的） or the shockingly commonplace - not the usual stuff of poetic metaphor.,Famous Examples,It is often grotesque and extravagant, e.g. Crashaws comparison of Mary Magdalenes tear-filled eyes as “Two walking baths; two weeping motions / Portable and compendious oceans.“ Donnes comparison of
10、 his union with his lover to the draftsmans compass in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning“ is more successful because it gives us a perception of a real but previously unsuspected similarity that is therefore enlightening.,The Sources of Conceits,Typical metaphysical conceits come from a wide varie
11、ty of areas of knowledge: coins (mintage); alchemy; medieval philosophy and angelology (see e.g. Donnes “Air and Angels”); meteorology (sighs are blasts, tears are floods); mythology (the Phoenixs riddle, the river Styx); government (“she is the state, he is the Prince“ from Donnes “The Sun Rising“)
12、; travelling (Donnes “Go and Catch a Falling Star“); astronomy; metallurgy (“gold to airy thinness beat“); geometry (the twin compasses); law; geography.,Overall explanation (1),Fleas were a popular subject for jocosehumorous and amatorylove poetry in all countries at the Renaissance. Their populari
13、ty stems from an event that happened in a literary salon (a place where poets and others came to recite poetry and converse). The salon was run by two ladies, and on occasion a flea happened to land upon one ladys breast. The poets were amazed at the creatures audacity, and were inspired to write po
14、etry about the beast. It soon became fashionable among poets to write poems about fleas.,Overall explanation(2),In this poem, the “I“ of the poem is lying in bed with his lover, and trying to get her to give her virginity to him. (It could, of course, quite easily be a FEMALE “I“ trying to seduce a
15、MALE, but I will stick with one for convenience). While lying there, he notices a flea, which has obviously bitten them both. Since the 17-century idea was of sex as a “mingling of the blood“, he realises that by mixing their bloods together in its body, the flea has done what she didnt dare to do.,
16、Overall explanation(3),Then, he argues, since the flea has done it, why shouldnt they? To back up his argument, he refers to the marriage ceremony, which states that “man and woman shall be one flesh“. He argues that since they have mingled their bloods and are therefore “one blood“, they are practi
17、cally “one flesh“ and are therefore married!,Overall explanation(4),Then, he argues, since the flea has done it, why shouldnt they? To back up his argument, he refers to the marriage ceremony, which states that “man and woman shall be one flesh“. He argues that since they have mingled their bloods a
18、nd are therefore “one blood“, they are practically “one flesh“ and are therefore married!,Overall explanation(5),However, the flea finally is killed, and the poet is forced to change tactics. There, he argues, killing the flea was easy, and as you say it hasnt harmed us - well, yielding to me will b
19、e just as easy and painless. This poem borrows a lot of religious imagery, because it helps add an aburd authority to the poem, as Donne tries to argue that what they are about to do is not only supported by God, but to not do it would be heretical.,Poetic Devices,Direct address: Marke but this flea
20、. Repetition: And marke in this Conceits: Flea Church Flea,Movement Within the Poem,First stanza: Contemplative and whimsical Second stanza: Becomes more absurd, pace gets faster Third stanza: Slowing and reversal of argument. Not a good idea to write down, but interesting to note that the pace of t
21、he poem follows that of sex - a gradual build-up of intensity leading to the sudden, climactic. death of a flea.,Imagery,Much religious imagery: one blood made of two - implies sex and/or pregnancy (ie, mother and child are the “two“) three lives in one flea - holy trinity cloysterd sacrilege, three
22、 sinnes in killing three - more holy trinity imagery blood of innocence,General Comments (1),Circular argument. The flea starts and ends as nothing. Hijacking of marriage ceremony. The Anglican marriage ceremony includes the lines Man shall be joined unto his wife and they two shall be one flesh. Co
23、mpare with one blood made of two, This flea is you and I.,etc. Argument gains confidence throughout the stanzas, and is then abruptly turned around. There is a lot of hyperbole in this poem, a technique that Donne often uses to make a point.,General Comments (2),Note the role of the female in this p
24、oem - her objections are never noted, just reacted to, and she makes the most powerful statement in the poem, yet it is a non-verbal statement (her crushing of the flea) One blood made of two. - in Donnes time, the sex act was though to be a “mingling of the bloods“ - so the line is both lewd and pl
25、ayful, especially as it is followed by the teasing And this, alas, is more than wee would doe.,General Comments (3),Purpled thy naile. - purple was a very expensive colour, associated with royalty and romance. Also note that in the first two lines of this stanza Donne is arguing that the death of th
26、e flea is more important than the loss of virginity. Not a good idea to use this in a formal exam, but note Me it suckd first, and now sucks thee - apparently in the 17th century the printed “s“ looked a lot like the printed “f“: “It would be no surprise. that Donne is being deliberately ambivalent
27、here.“,General Comments (4),Donnes rhyme scheme plays an important part in the meaning. All twenty-seven lines of the poem follow the aabbccddd rhyme scheme. This consistency in pattern reflects the speakers persistence as he proceeds with his request for intimacy throughout the poem.,Death, Be not
28、Proud,DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so, For, those, whom thou thinkst, thou dost overthrow, Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flo
29、w, And soonest our best men with thee doe goe, Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.,Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell, And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well, And better then thy stroake; why swellst thou then;
30、 One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally, And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.,This sonnet is part of a collection called “The Holy Sonnets“. Donne, an Anglican priest and very religious man, looks at the theme of death, something that scares most people. He points out that one shoul
31、d not in fact be afraid of death at all because it is simply the gateway to another happier eternal life. The poet in fact personifies death, speaking directly to Death as if it were a person. He accuses Death of having absolutely nothing to boast about because, in the end, Death has no power whatev
32、er.,Petrarchan Sonnet,It has 14 lines, divided into three quatrains and a rhyming couplet. The quatrains deal with the chief theme of the sonnet, and the rhyming couplet concludes the argument. Each line of the sonnet has 10 syllables of iambic pentameters - i.e. there are five feet (called pentamet
33、ers), and each foot contains a short syllable followed by a long one (iambic):,The rhyming scheme is a simple one: abba cddc effe gg Note: The rhyming couplet at the end is usually a sign that one is looking at an Elizabethan sonnet.,DONNES POEM IS BASED UPON THE FOLLOWING EXTRACT FROM THE SCRIPTURE
34、S:,“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet . . . . then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your s
35、ting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.“ Corinthians 15: 51-57,CLOSER ANALYSIS,General: Death is often presented as a person (the “Grim Reaper“) who goes about with a sickle reaping in a harvest of sou
36、ls. Indeed, St Paul himself personifies death in his letter to the Corinthians, hence Donne is merely imitating the great master.,Quatrain 1:,The poet has contempt for Death, scorning Deaths false pride. He points out that, although most people are terrified of Death (“some have called thee mighty a
37、nd dreadful“), there is no reason at all for this fear. People who appear to die, says the poet, do not actually die but rather pass into another eternal life of happiness. Death therefore has no reason to be proud, or to boast of his accomplishments because in reality Death has no power whatever.,Q
38、uatrain 2:,Death is merely a picture of eternal rest and sleep. Just as rest and sleep bring much happiness, so Death will bring much more happiness because he brings eternal rest. Even the best people will eventually die, and then their bones will be at rest while their souls experience eternal hap
39、piness.,Quatrain 3:,Donne takes this argument one step further. Not only does Death have no real power over people, but Death is himself a slave. People die because of Fate, or when a king orders an execution, or a murderer kills. Death then has no option but to arrive and take that person into his
40、arms. Death is also the slave to poison, war and sickness. All of these cause people to die without seeking Deaths permission. And yet, drugs and magic also make people sleep, often in a more enriching way than that which Death promises.,Rhyming Couplet:,The poet concludes that, as soon as the short
41、 sleep of death is over, the persons soul will awaken into eternal life. Once that happens, he says, then there can be no further need for Death. Death itself will cease to exist. Note the great paradox here: Death itself will die!,TONE:,The poet has contempt for Death, scorning Deaths false pride.,死神，你莫骄横，尽管有人将你看得 如何强大，如何可怖，你呀，名不符实； 你自以为已经把芸芸众生毁灭， 可怜的死神，他们没死，你至今还杀不死我； 休憩和睡眠，其实就是你的写照， 你定然比它们更让人感到舒适惬意， 而我们最出色的人们随你而去越早， 越能早日让灵魂获救，肉体安息， 你是命运、时机、君主和狂徒的奴隶， 你与毒药、战争和病魔同流合污， 鸦片与巫术也能灵验地进行蛊惑， 而且效果更佳，你又何必颐指气使？ 人们小憩一会，精神便得以永远清朗， 便再不会有死亡，死神你自己将死亡。,
