John Donne

John Donne (* January 22, 1572 in London, † March 31, 1631 ) was an English novelist and the greatest of the metaphysical poets. His works include sermons, religious poems, translations from the Latin, epigrams, elegies, songs and sonnets.

Life

Donne grew up in a Catholic family and studied both at Oxford ( at Hertford College ) as well as in Cambridge. As a young man he traveled in Europe and escorted from 1596 to 1597 the Earl of Essex on his trips to Cadiz and the Azores. On his return, he became secretary of the Baron Ellesmere and began to make a name as a poet. The works of this period include many of his songs and sonnets whose realistic and sensual style is remarkable. Donne also wrote many satirical verses, which show a cynical worldview.

1601 Donne joined a secret marriage to Anne More, niece of the second wife of Baron Ellesmere; it is a public scandal that ruined Donne's reputation developed; his works took on a more serious tone. Two Anniversaries ( " anniversaries " ) - An Anatomy of the World ( " Anatomy of the World" ) of 1611 and Of the Progress of the Soul ( "From the progress of the soul ", 1612 ) - show how shaken his belief in the order of things in pre-revolutionary England, was growing at a time of doubt in politics, science and philosophy. His satire of 1611 Ignatius his Conclave was probably the first English-language work in which Galileo Galilei was mentioned.

After a long period of financial uncertainty and hardship, during which he was a Member of Parliament twice (1601 and 1614 ), Donne finally followed the wishes of his King James I and was consecrated in 1615 as a priest. After the death of his wife in 1617, the tone of his poetry was dark, especially in the Holy Sonnets.

After his ordination, Donne wrote a number of religious works, his Devotions ( 1624), and various sermons, some of which were published in his lifetime. He was also considered one of the most eloquent preachers of his time. 1621 Donne was appointed Dean of St. Paul's (London) and held this office until his death in 1631.

At the beginning of the 20th century John Donne was in the TS by Eliot initiated discussion examined in detail. Here, the debate focused on the interpretation of individual poems and let the historical and biographical conditions John Donne's almost completely ignored.

Quote

Two phrases from the work of John Donne found their way into popular culture, namely the proverbial " No man is an island," the Thomas Merton and Johannes Mario Simmel selected as a book title, and "For Whom the Bell Tolls " as the title of a novel by Ernest Hemingway. Both come from the same paragraph in Meditation XVII:

Works

• Joe Nutt (ed.): John Donne: The Poems ( Analysing text). 1999, ISBN 0-333-74783-6.
• Phillip Mallet ( eds.): York Notes on John Donne: Selected Poems, Study Notes. 1999, ISBN 0-582-41465-2.

Remembrance

• Protestant: 31 March in the calendar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Anglican: 31 March