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2011年4月14日 星期四

Metaphysical Poetry

Metaphysical Poetry

A term that can be applied to any poetry that deals with philosophical or spiritual matters but that is generally limited to works written by a specific group of seventeenth-century poets who wrote in the manner of the poet John Donne.  Aside from Donne, the poets commonly referred to as metaphysical poets include John Cleveland, Abraham Cowley, Richard Crashaw, Andrew Marvell, and Henry Vaughn. 

Metaphysical is, in fact, something of a misnomer when applied to these writers, since they tend to be more concerned with how to regard God and women than with the essence of reality, the true domain of metaphysical concern.  Nonetheless, the label has stuck ever since Samuel Johnson (following John Dryden, who first applied the adjective metaphysical to Donne specifically) used it to describe this group of poets.

The metaphysical poets are linked not so much by a common Wetlanschauung (“world view”) as by style and modes of poetic organization that stemmed from their reaction against idealized Elizabethan love poetry.  Their poems frequently take the form of arguments that yoke wit and originality with powerful emotions.  Common elements include the following:  (1) an analytical approach to subject matter (and an accompanying intellectual tone); (2) colloquial language; (3) rhythmic patterns that are often rough or irregular; and (4) the metaphysical conceit, a figurative device used to capture thought and emotion as accurately as possible. 

Metaphysical Conceit

An extended figure of speech most commonly associated with metaphysical poetry.  The metaphysical conceit involves the use of paradox, images from arcane sources not usually drawn upon by poets, and an original and usually complex comparison between two highly dissimilar things.  The originality of a metaphysical conceit often derives from ordinary or esoteric materials used in an original way.  A singly metaphysical conceit may function as the controlling image for the entire poem.

Excerpted from Ross Murfin and Supryia M. Ray, The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms.  Boston:  Bedford, 1997.

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