The Metaphysical Poets

The term 'metaphysical' is loosely applied to a group of 17th century poets such as John Donne, Andrew Marvell, Henry Vaughan, George Herbert, and Richard Crashaw. These poets did not belong to a school of poetry, but were united by 'Common characteristics of wit, inventiveness, and a love of elaborate stylistic manoeuvres." Their poetry was rich in intellectual complexity. John Dryden was the first to use the term 'metaphysic' in his criticism of Donne. In his Discourse Concerning Satire, Dryden had stated that Donne in his poetry "affects the Metaphysics...in his amorous verses, where nature only should reign; and perplexes the minds of the fair sex with nice speculations of philosophy, when be should engage their hearts." While Dryden had used the term in reference to Donne, Samuel Jonson extended it to a group of poets. In The Lives of the Poets, Jonson stated that "about the beginning of the 17th century appeared the race of writers that maybe termed the Metaphysical poets." Both Dryden and Jonson had used the term metaphysical in a negative sense to criticise the excesses of this group of poets. Jonson believed that metaphysical poets only wanted to 'show their learning'. In their poetry, "The most heterogeneous ideas were yoked by violence together".