The Metaphysical Poets

by John Donne, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert

John Donne, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert, Thomas Carew and Henry Vaughan: these were some of the 17th-century writers who devised a new form of poetry full of wit, intellect and grace, which we now call Metaphysical poetry. They wrote about their deepest religious feelings and their carnal pleasures in a way that was radically new and challenging to their readers. Their work was largely misunderstood or ignored for two centuries, until 20th-century critics rediscovered it, finding in it a deep originality and a willingness to experiment that made much conventional poetry look merely decorative. This collection provides the perfect introduction to this diverse group of fascinating poets.

Genres: Poetry, 17th Century, Nonfiction

1 pages, Audible Audio

First published August 7, 2012

About the author

John Donne was an English poet, preacher and a major representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially as compared to that of his contemporaries.

Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. In 1615 he became an Anglican priest and, in 1621, was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Reviews

[hawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

a relatively short (1 hour), but fairly full, anthology of poetry by writers from the 17th century who wrote what is now considered 'Metaphysical Poetry'.

it includes poems by:
John Donne,
George Herbert,
Andrew Marvell,
[halfway thru already]
Henry Vaughan,
Richard Crashaw,
[70% thru now]
Thomas Carew,
[beyond this point, most authors had just 1 poem included]
Lord Herbert of Cherbury,
Francis Quarles,
Katherine Philips, (nice to hear a female poet, even if she just gets one poem! and I think her poem kinda comments on some of the men in the anthology 😉😆)
John Hall,
Thomas Traherne,
Richard Lovelace,
William Davenant,
John Suckling,
Edmund Waller.

many moved past pleasantly and/or passably enough, but without arresting my attention... some made me roll my eyes abit... a few caught my ear more strongly, tho very few remained with me.

I enjoyed the combination of the religious/spiritual experience/feeling, with the visceral/bodily and emotional/mental experiences. the poets seeming to explore, try to make sense of, acknowledge, reconcile and celebrate these twined threads of existence. there felt like alot of strength in this understanding and expression.
there was also a focus on the natural world, and seeing the divine within that, awa expressing enjoyment and wonder at it 🙂

the collection worked as a fairly good introduction to a few poets I was unfamiliar with. tho it seemed a limited selection - very notably containing a disproportionate representation of male poets.
halfway thru, it had only covered 3 or so poets, and those later down the list got scant space 😕
I was excited to see Thomas Traherne amongst the list... but sadly towards the end and only a single poem of his.
and one poem by a woman, out of a total of 43 poems 🙄

🍂🍃🍂


accessed as a library audiobook, ably read by:
Nicholas Boulton, Johnathan Keeble, Roy McMillan,
Laura Paton, Geoffrey Whitehead, Will Keen.

[Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

These narrators went HARD and I love it. Also, I showed up for John Donne but I stayed for Richard Lovelace. He's great.

[Ayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection of poems!

[Monkman Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent readings by the actors

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some poems were quite good. Now I have a vague idea who “the metaphysical poets” were and what they stood for.

[sch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only Herbert, to teach. Good performances, but not the best.