Tension: Another Reading Of John Donne's Erotic Poems

John Donne (1572-1631), the forefather of English Metaphysical poetry, is a hottopic both abroad and at home. Critics have explored his poetry from various anglesand in various approaches. But as far as tension, one of Donne's outstanding poeticfeatures, is concerned, there seems to be still very large room for research. In 1930s,New Critics have affirmed tension in contributing the aesthetic effects of Donne'spoetry. They also contend that tensions will finally achieve "harmony" and "unity" inDonne's poetry. But the contemporary critics have much revised the New Critics'concept of tension. They believe it is impossible for those tensions to reach"harmony" and "unity". Some of them make a study of tension in Donne's poetry ontheir belief that language has inherent contradictions and indeterminacies, andconclude Donne's poems finally have no definite meanings. In my thesis, combiningthe approaches taken by New Critics and the contemporary critics, an attempt is madeto study tension in Donne's erotic poems from several aspects: from poetic languageincluding diction, syntax, from poetic images, and also from poetic situations, such asthe dramatic situations and the situations presented by poetic logics in Donne's eroticpoems, contending these elements always generating unsettling tensions in Donne'serotic poems, and the meaning of these poems lies with the interpretations of thesetensions. In addition, this thesis also explores the tensions in the poet John Donne'ssocial background and his early life experiences, contending the pains anduncertainties in the poet's time and life experiences may influence the poet in hiscomposition of those erotic poems, and the tension in his erotic poems can be anatural overflow of these pains and uncertainties in his inner mind.