Abstract

"This guide focuses primarily on the sometimes difficult or obscure poetry of John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, Abraham Cowley, Henry Vaughan, and Andrew Marvell, but it also deals with some of the lesser poets who can legitimately be included under the heading of metaphysical poets. Because this poetry is rich in philosophical ideas and metaphors, George Williamson helps the reader to understand the line-by-line meaning of particular poems before being bid to set out on a path to higher comprehension." "In addition, Williamson sketches the historical, intellectual, and rhetorical backgrounds of these poets, and the development of their literary reputations through the years. The nature of each poet is defined in his own terms before the individual poems are examined. Dimensions of wit are also scrutinized in the works of Henry King, John Cleveland, and John Wilmot Earl of Rochester, and Andrew Marvell's work is related to Restoration satire. The final chapter extends and refines our awareness of this mode of poetry and its ultimte course."--BOOK JACKET.