Metaphysical poets.docx

Prof. Dr. Mohammed Farooq Albadri
The Metaphysical Poetry in perspective
English poetry may be divided into different ages for the convenience of study; for instance, Anglo-Saxon poetry, classical poetry, neoclassical poetry, metaphysical poetry, romantic poetry, modern poetry and so forth. Strictly speaking, metaphysical poetry does not represent to an age rather it is a distinctive school of thought that is distinguished with other trends of poetry by salient features that are the recognizing points of the school of poetry of which John Donne is the leading star. The sort of lyrical poetry of the school was highly intellectual and was written in 17th century England.
Metaphysical poets, name given to a group of English lyric poets of the 17th cent.The term was first used by Samuel Johnson (1744).The expression Metaphysical is derivative of the Latin word Metaphysica, which is a combination of two words: Meta and Physica. The word meta means 'beyond' or 'after'. It is a prefix and is equally used in English. It refers to things or concepts, which are abstract. Literally Physica means 'work', but in this case, it is considered as something, which is having a concrete shape. So, the term Metaphysical may be defined as 'Beyond physical work'. In this regard, R.S Hillyer asserts that "the Metaphysical deals with the notion of existence, with the existing universe and man's place therein. Roughly, it has taken such implications as these- philosophical, difficult, ethereal, obscure, supercilious, ingenious, odd and bizarre. Poetry, which deals with correlation between the real world and the after-world, concrete and abstract, soul and being, as well as reality and perception using philosophical methodology is called Metaphysical Poetry."
The Metaphysical Poets are known for their ability to startle the reader and coax new perspective through paradoxical images, subtle argument, inventive syntax, and imagery from art, philosophy, and religion using an extended metaphor known as a conceit. Most clearly of all they reveal the essentially functional character of all metaphor. We cannot remove the comparisons from their poems, as we might remove ornaments and illustrations attached to a statement, without demolishing the poem. The comparison is the poem in a structural sense.
Although this method was by no means new, these men infused new life into English poetry by the freshness and originality of their approach.
These poets were not formally affiliated; most of them did not even know or read each other.In that era, politics and religion were intrinsically intertwined with each other and religion was at the heart of political controversy. The realm of education was revolutionized with new scientific ideologies, discoveries, and inventions, coupled with grand and splendid literary creations. In the midst of such political insecurity, religious controversy, social fragmentation and intellectual ferment, there was the strong and pervasive presence of a spirit of freshness, of vivacity, of enthusiasm, of originality, of individuality, of new learning, of zest and so on. Diverse literary trends emerged in this whirlpool of change and enriched the history of literature.
So the metaphysical poets were men of learning, and, to show their learning was their whole endeavour; but, unluckily resolving to show it in rhyme, instead of writing poetry, they only wrote verses, and, very often, such verses as stood the trial of the finger better than of the ear; for the modulation was so imperfect, that they were only found to be verses by counting the syllables... The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together; nature and art are ransacked for illustrations, comparisons, and allusions; their learning instructs, and their subtilty surprises; but the reader commonly thinks his improvement dearly bought, and though he sometimes admires, is seldom pleased.
The most important metaphysical poets including John Donne, are George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Thomas Traherne, Abraham Cowley, Richard Crashaw, and Andrew Marvell. Their work has considerably influenced the poetry of the 20th cent.
Early in the twentieth century, a revolution in taste restored John Donne to his position as one of the major English poets and gave to the other "metaphysical" poets a favored prominence which they had never before enjoyed. The revolution as such is long since over: Donne is no longer seen as a twentieth-century man before the fact, a taste for the Metaphysicals no longer makes all-out warfare on Milton and the Romantics an obligation, and familiarity with Donne is no longer the badge of an exclusive sensibility. But the rearrangement of our classics wrought by Eliot and the rest has been permanent; the Metaphysicals are now a central and important part of the heritage of the cultivated English or American reader, and there is no sign that they will cease to be such..


Works Cited
Eliza Binte Elahi. " The Use of Metaphysical Elements and Conceits in Andrew Marvell's Poetry." International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL) Volume 2, Issue 12, December 2014, PP 46-50.
Frank J. Warnke, European Metaphysical Poetry (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1961).
Leonard Unger, Donne's Poetry and Modern Criticism (Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1950), 17.
Mushtaq, Ahmad. "Donne's Metaphysical Poetry: A new Theory of Love." Academic Research International ISSN-L: 2223-9553, ISSN: 2223-9944 Vol. 4 No. 2, March 2113.
Rafiq, Muhammad. "Metaphysical Poetry: Definition and Characteristics of Metaphysical Poetry." HubPages. August 14, 2015. Accessed February 23, 2016. http://hubpages.com/literature/Metaphysical-Poetry-Definition-and-Characteristics-of-Metaphysical-Poetry
Samuel Johnson, Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, vol. 1 (1779).
Sarkar, Piu. "Metaphysical Poetry and John Donne: An Overview." International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Vol.2 Issue 2, February 2012, ISSN 2231 5780.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. (Columbia University Press, 2015), s.v. "Metaphysical Poets," http://www.questia.com/read/1E1-metaphys-p/metaphysical-poets.











Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and English Language at the Iraqia University, College of Islamic Sciences.
Mushtaq, Ahmad. "Donne's Metaphysical Poetry: A new Theory of Love." Academic Research International ISSN-L: 2223-9553, ISSN: 2223-9944 Vol. 4 No. 2, March 2113.
Rafiq, Muhammad. "Metaphysical Poetry: Definition and Characteristics of Metaphysical Poetry." HubPages. August 14, 2015. Accessed February 23, 2016. http://hubpages.com/literature/Metaphysical-Poetry-Definition-and-Characteristics-of-Metaphysical-Poetry.
Eliza Binte Elahi. " The Use of Metaphysical Elements and Conceits in Andrew Marvell's Poetry." International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL) Volume 2, Issue 12, December 2014, PP 46-50.
Leonard Unger, Donne's Poetry and Modern Criticism (Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1950), 17.
SARKAR, PIU. " Metaphysical Poetry and John Donne: An Overview." International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Vol.2 Issue 2, February 2012, ISSN 2231 5780.
Samuel Johnson, Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, vol. 1 (1779).
The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. (Columbia University Press, 2015), s.v. "Metaphysical Poets," http://www.questia.com/read/1E1-metaphys-p/metaphysical-poets.
. Frank J. Warnke, European Metaphysical Poetry (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1961).