Literature / Writers Datebook: January 22
Brief biography and works of John Donne, England's metaphysical poet, lawyer and priest, famous for the phrase 'No Man Is an island.'
John Donne was the leading figure of a group of 17th-century English writers who are known as the Metaphysical Poets. He is best known for his Sermons, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions and Death's Duel.
Early Life of John Donne
John Donne (b. January 22, 1572 - d. March 31, 1631), born and died in London, United Kingdom. He came from a prosperous Roman Catholic family, his father an ironmonger and his mother, the daughter of dramatist John Heywood. He was educated at Oxford University, even though Roman Catholics were usually banned from attending classes. At 19, he returned to London to study Law. In his 20s Donne took part in military expeditions to Spain and the Azores, that time, England and Spain were in a state of almost constant war in the 16th century. Donne seemed set to enjoy a successful career as a diplomat until he secretly married Ann Moore, a minor at 17, and the niece of a powerful aristocrat for whom he was employed. The aristocrat had him thrown into jail for a while. This ended his ambitions for a career in politics.
The Poet
Donne wrote poetry all his life. In his 20s and 30s, he wrote some of his famous lyric poems, including the collections Satires and Songs and Sonnets. His first Anniversarie did not appear until he was 39. Very little of Donne's work appeared in print during his lifetime and most of his other poetry was not published until after his death. His poems were widely read and admired among aristocratic and literary circles.
Donne's famous poem "No Man Is an Island" is about the connection between all of humankind. He essentially argues that people need each other and are better together than they are in isolation, because every individual is one piece of the greater whole that is humanity itself.
No Man Is an Island
By John Donne
No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
As well as if a promontory were:
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were.
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
Donne's Style and Themes
Though his style has the same organic development, Donne's verse is divided into the love poetry of his youth and the religious poetry of his older years. The love poetry is energetic, passionate with intellectual rhetorics. Physically urgent and erotic, Donne was the first writer to use 'sex' in its present sense. On the other hand, as a devotional poet, his verse is less arresting in terms of style and less sure of direction. This has been interpreted as a spiritual struggle, that in order to achieve faith, one has to conquer doubt.
Later Life
In 1615 Donne converted to the Anglican faith and became a priest. Later, he became chaplain to the king and, in 1621, head of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. He died c. 59 years old, on March 31, 1631.
As a writer of religious prose, Donne is best known for his Sermons, more than 150 of them published after his death. One well-known phrase and image is "No man is an island," which appears in his book Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. His style had influence on younger poets.
Works by John Donne
Progress of the Soul, 1601
Anniversarie (parts 1 and 2), 1611-1612
Holy Sonnets, 1618
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, 1624
Death's Duel, 1631
(Published After His Death):
Biathanatos, 1644
Satires, (date unknown)
Songs and sonnets (date unknown)
Divine Poems (date unknown)
Photo Credit:
John Donne. Wikipedia Commons / Public Domain.
Resources:
"No Man Is an Island". All Poetry. Accessed January 22, 2024.
Cambridge Guide to Literature in English by Ian Ousby. CUP, Cambridge, 1993
Chambers Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una Mcgovern, Chambers Harrap, Edinburgh, 2002
Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring, Larousse, 1994
(c) January 2009. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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