Metaphysical Poetry

Metaphysical poetry refers to a type of very intellectual poetry that was common in the 17th century. This type of poetry was known for bold and ingenious conceits, subtle thought and frequent use of paradox as well as the directness of language. Basically, metaphysics deals with questions that can't be explained by science. It questions the nature of reality in a philosophical way. This term of  work is a blend of emotion and intellectual ingenuity, characterized by conceit or ‘’wit’’ .Sometimes violent yoking together of apparently unconnected ideas and things so that the reader is startled out of his complacency and forced to think through the argument of the poem. Metaphysical poetry is less concerned with expressing feeling than with analyzing it, with the poet exploring the recesses of his consciousness.John Donne  and George Herbert are important poets in this term.

John Donne (1572 – 1631) was the most influential metaphysical poet. His early work, collected in Satires and in Songs and Sonnets, was released in an era of religious oppression. His Holy Sonnets, which contains many of Donne’s most enduring poems, was released shortly after his wife died in childbirth.

George Herbert (1593 – 1633) was remarkable poet who did not live to see a collection of his poems published. Herbert, the son of a prominent literary patron to whom Donne dedicated his Holy Sonnets, spent the last years of his short life as a rector in a small town.

REFERENCES: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5662