The Metaphysical Poets
Directions: After reading the lecture, answer one of the two questions below. This question is due no later than Wednesday, August 17.
Your responses to other students' answers are due by midnight on Thursday, August 18. Remember: in order to get the full 20 points, you MUST respond thoughtfully to at least 2 other people's postings.
This set of discussion questions is worth a possible 20 points. Late answers receive 0 points, so post early :)
We will be using the Canvas Discussion Board for this class. Click on the link below to get to the LACCD portal, sign in, and then click on the link for Canvas in the right column. This will take you to the Canvas dashboard. From there, click on the square with the name of our class. Once you've entered the class, you will find the "Discussions" link on the left side of the screen:
Just answer one of the following questions.
1. Most writers and critics of the 18th and 19th centuries disliked the Metaphysical poets, for a variety of reasons. (They were not taken seriously until T. S. Eliot championed them in the early 20th century.) The criticism levelled against them the most often was that their appeal was to the intellect rather than to the emotions. Matthew Arnold, a Victorian poet and critic, for example, argued that they were inferior poets, since "...their poetry is conceived and composed in their wits, genuine poetry is conceived and composed in the soul. The difference between the two kinds of poetry is immense" (Matthew Arnold, Essays in Criticism, 1865). Do you agree with this assessment? Give specific quotes and examples from the poems to support your opinion.
2. Of the Metaphysical poets we have read, which do you prefer? Explain why, with specific examples and direct quotes from the poems. (There is no right or wrong answer to this question; it is simply a matter of preference. Your points will be determined by how well you explain your choice, not by your choice itself.)
For further information on these works, see the Links page.