A Quest For The Authentic Self

For centuries, John Donne's poetry was interpreted in controversial voices. Employing the theory of ontology proposed by Martin Heidegger, this thesis attempts to make an interpretation of Donne's poetry in this perspective.Heidegger holds that for the most part Dasein hides itself in the mode of inauthenticity, thus, it has lost its authentic self in the "They". Theoretically speaking, Dasein can quest its authentic self, which should be performed by Dread, because Dread can dislodge Dasein from its lostness into the "They". One's authentic self is accomplished during Dasein's anticipation of death—a possibility which is one's ownmost, no-relational, not to be outstripped, certain, and indefinite. But is not adequate to be aware of its authentic self, Dasein still has to accumulate courage to retrieve its authentic self. This course can be witnessed in Dasein's proper understanding of the call of conscience, or the realization of Dasein's essential guilt.Following this theory, the thesis views Donne's life and his emotional experience as a symbolic process of questing his authentic self. Taking this as the departure, the thesis treats respectively the stages where Donne undertakes to find his authentic self in this progress. The first chapter studies Donne's falling into the "They-world" in the state of inauthenticity, which mainly consists two sections: the lostness into the secular love and his isolated spirit. The second chapter studies the disclosure of the authentic self by the mood of Dread, which has two sections: Donne's conception of others' deadness and his meditation of his ownmost death. The third chapter shows Donne's resoluteness to find the authentic self through the proper understanding of the call of conscience.