The Metaphysical Poets

Metaphysical Poets

The Metaphysical poets were a loose collection of poets who developed a new genre of poetry during the late 16th and early 17th Century. The most important poet of this movement was John Donne  

The Metaphysical poets introduced a fresh approach to poetry. They rejected the flowery imagery of their predecessors, such as Spencer. Instead they sought to concentrate on clearly defined topics, often of a religious interest. The poems were also characterized by sharp polaraties and paradoxical imagery. This imagery is often called metaphysical conceit. T.S. Eliot, who later popularized some of these poets said that the metaphysical poets were able to combine reason with passion, showing a unification of thought and feeling.

The Main Metaphysical Poets were:

 

17th Century Poets

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