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1、Metaphysical Poetry John DonneOutline of the lecture l1.Definition of Metaphysical poetryl2.Close reading: go and catch the falling starl3.Appreciation: Flea and A Valediction: Forbidden Mourningl4.Summary of Donnes poetryl5.Formation of Metaphysical poetryl6.Assignment for next lectureJohn Donne an
2、d other Metaphysical poetsI Definition of Metaphysical PoetrylTime:the early 17th centurylMain features: mysticism in content and fantasticality in form; peculiar conceit, unique way of reasoning and comparisonlRepresentatives: John Donne, Andrew Marvell and George HerbertlSignificance: greatly infl
3、uenced the modernists of the 20th centuryMetaphysical poetry, a peculiar Phenomenon ?Question? ? ?lWhy was Metaphysical poetry kept being criticized for nearly 300 years since its appearance but re-estimated and re- elevated by modernist poets in the 20th century? II Appreciation of the poemGo and C
4、atch the Falling StarGo and catch a falling star,Get with child a mandrake root,Tell me where all past years are,Or who cleft the Devils foot,Teach me to hear mermaids singing,Or to keep off envys stinging,And findWhat windServes to advance an honest mind.If thou best born to strange sights,Things i
5、nvisible to see,Ride ten thousand days and nights,Till age snow white hairs on thee;Thou, when thou returnst, wilt tell meAll strange wonders that befell thee,And swearNo whereLives a woman true, and fair.If thou findst one, let me know,Such a pilgrimage were sweet;Yet do not, I would not go,Though
6、at next door we might meet:Though she were true, when you met her,And last, till you write your letter,Yet sheWill beFalse, ere I come, to two or three.Q: Whats similarity in these 7 images?Go and catch a falling star,Get with child a mandrake root,Tell me where all past years are,Or who cleft the D
7、evils foot,Teach me to hear mermaids singing,Or to keep off envys stinging,And findWhat windServes to advance an honest mind.lQ: Whats the poets aim to list so many impossibilities? If thou best born to strange sights,Things invisible to see,Ride ten thousand days and nights,Till age snow white hair
8、s on thee;Thou, when thou returnst, wilt tell meAll strange wonders that befell thee,And swearNo whereLives a woman true, and fair.lQ: Have you realized the aim of the poet till the end of the 18th line? lQ: If he has stated his intension clearly, what the next lines for then? lQ: What the last nine
9、 lines for? for further confirmation: true love is unattainable. lQ: How do you get the implied meaning of the poem, or the attitude of the poet? If thou findst one, let me know,Such a pilgrimage were sweet;Yet do not, I would not go,Though at next door we might meet:Though she were true, when you m
10、et her,And last, till you write your letter,Yet sheWill beFalse, ere I come, to two or three.further QuestionslQ: Whats the theme of the poem? True love is unattainable. lQ: How does the poet express this attitude towards love? in a indirect wayby reasoning as a way to argueAnalysis of the artistic
11、featureslStructureHow many parts can the poem be divided into?lLanguagecolloquial languagelPoetic formirregular in line length3 nine-line stanza rhymed in ababccdddIII Two more examples1) Donnes The FleaIt sucked me first, and now sucks thee,And in this flea, our two bloods mingled beThis flea is yo
12、u and I, and this Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.lFrom the utilization of the image flea, what features can be perceived? peculiar conceitreasoning in argument enjoy the moment Donnes A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning(excerpt)lIf they be two, they are two soAs stiff twin compasses are twoT
13、hy soul the fixed foot, makes no showTo move, but doth, if thother do.lAnd though it in the center sit,Yet when the other far doth roam,It leans, and hearkens after it,And grows erect, as that comes home.lSuch wilt thou be to me, who must Like thother foot, obliquely run;Thy firmness makes my circle
14、 just,And makes me end, where I begun. A Chinese Example of Conceit in Love你侬我侬 元 管道昇 你 侬 我 侬 ， 忒 煞 情 多 ； 情 多 处 ， 热如 火 ；把 一 块 泥 ， 捻 一 個 你 ， 塑 一 个 我 ，将 咱 两 个 一 齐 打 破 ，用 水 调 和 ； 再 捻 一 个 你 ， 再 塑 一 个我 。我 泥 中 有 你 ， 你 泥 中 有 我 。我 与 你 生 同 一 个 衾 ， 死 同 一 个 槨 。 你侬我侬- Explanation and Analysis (1)lThis poem was
15、written by a woman named管道昇 in Yuan Dynasty. She wrote this poem in order to stop her husband 趙梦频 from marrying a concubine. lThe first two sentences, the writer describes how deep they love each other and what a great passion between them. 侬 is a pronoun. It represent “You” or “I “, thus, 你 侬 我 侬 m
16、eans “I am you and you are me. We love each other very much so that we do not have to distinguish who we are, because we are together, our hearts and minds unitize together. 你侬我侬- Explanation and Analysis(2)lShe compares their passionate love to fire. She uses fire to create a vivid image. Then, the writer uses soil to give a more vivid image to confirm their everlasting love. From the third sentence, use soil to knead a y
