Deconstructive Power In John Donne's Elegy

John Donne(1572-1631) is highly reputed as the forefather of the 17^th-century English metaphysical school.His poetry immerses in grotesque,marvellous and original images, abounds in mutative,fertile and profound themes,both secular and divine,and exhibits skillful employment of colloquialism and dramaticism.However,Donne's poetry once dissociated from English poetry in mainstream for a long time,which to some extent reflects an "anti-traditional" idiosyncracy within his poetry,especially in Elegy.Jacques Derrida(1930-2004),a pioneer and kernel leader of deconstruction,whose deconstructive literary critical theory was full of revolutionary spirit and renowned as a violent,profound and historical reformation both upon traditional literary creation outlook and criticism perspective.Coincidently or not,Donne's "anti-traditional" idiosyncracy in Elegy spanning more than three-hundred-year space and time seems to share an amazing similarity with Derrida's pioneer spirit in the deconstructive literary critical theory.Therefore, this thesis attempts to demonstrate that Donne's Elegy possesses distinguished characteristics of Derrida's deconstructive literary critical theory,and consequently displays the immense, profound and intense power of deconstruction implied in elegiac texts.This thesis is divided into three chapters.Chapter One testifies that Donne's elegiac themes possess brilliant characteristics of Derrida's "differance" and "dissemination".Chapter Two proves that Donne's elegiac images possess an eminent characteristic of Derrida's "supplement" slightly with a color of "differance".Chapter Three demonstrates that Donne's elegiac colloquialism and dramaticism possess a remarkable characteristic of Derrida's "intertextuality".In conclusion,Donne's Elegy possesses outstanding characteristics of Derrida's deconstructive literary critical theory,and sequentially displays the immense,profound and intense power of deconstruction implied in elegiac texts.In this sense,it is reasonable to call Donne a great forerunner of deconstruction.