John Donne

John Donne (* between January and June 1572, † 31 March 1631, both in London), a famous English poet, particulary well-known for his metaphysical poetry.

Family

John Donne was born into a Roman Catholic Family. His father, John Donne (1535–1576), worked as a successful merchant in London. His mother Elizabeth Heywood (1543–1631), daughter of the playwright John Heywood, was closely related to the family of Thomas More. John's father died when he was four years old. In the same year, 1576, John Donne's mother married his stepfather Dr. John Syminges, a physician and academic.

Education

With a prosperous father and stepfather with academic background, the Donne children were privileged to receive profound education. After several years of private education John Donne entered the University of Oxford in 1584. After three years of studying he moved to the University of Cambridge and followed his studies for another three years. John Donne left both universities without any degree "because as a Roman Catholic he could not swear the required oath of allegiance to the Protestant queen, Elizabeth"(Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition). After his studies, John started travelling throughout Europe and joined several expeditions, e.g. "he sailed with Sir Walter Raleigh and Essex in the near-disastrous Islands expedition, hunting for Spanish treasure ships in the Azores"(Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition).

John Donne and Metaphysical Poetry

Metaphysical poetry is a term invented by Samuel Johnson and describes a certain type of poetry in the 17th century. Its main characteristic is the combination of outlandish ideas used to force the reader to think a step further and derive the poem's broad meaning. This characteristic is called conceit or wit. In contrast to the prevalent poetry in Renaissance, "Metaphysical poetry is less concerned with expressing feeling than with analyzing it, with the poet exploring the recesses of his consciousness"(Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition).

Sources

"John Donne." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/169175/John-Donne>.

"Metaphysical poet." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/377915/Metaphysical-poets>.

Colclough, David. “Donne, John (1572–1631).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/7819>.