De l’usage de l’intertexte biblique dans quelques poèmes de George Herbert et de John Donne

Controversial as the underlying theology of metaphysical poetry may be, such poets as George Herbert and John Donne extensively resorted to the use of the biblical intertext, and they had a thorough knowlege of both the hermeneutics and the poetics of their time. As a matter of fact, they cared more...

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Main Author: Jean-Louis Breteau
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses universitaires de Rennes 2009-03-01
Series:Revue LISA
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/91
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author Jean-Louis Breteau
author_facet Jean-Louis Breteau
author_sort Jean-Louis Breteau
collection DOAJ
description Controversial as the underlying theology of metaphysical poetry may be, such poets as George Herbert and John Donne extensively resorted to the use of the biblical intertext, and they had a thorough knowlege of both the hermeneutics and the poetics of their time. As a matter of fact, they cared more about conforming to the Word than to their Church’s rites and forms. And yet they did not read Scripture literally, but, like their contemporaries, freely indulged in the practice of typology, while displaying a great mastery of such poetic devices as emblems or conceits. Some differences can nevertheless be identified between Herbert’s and Donne’s respective approaches to religious poetry. In this study, a few poems are closely examined. “Easter Wings” and “Prayer I” can be seen to exemplify Herbert’s so-called “plain”, but in fact very elaborate, writing, while “Good Friday” and “At the round earth’s imagined corners” illustrate Donne’s paradoxical and ironical ways.
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spelling doaj-art-81aeda26934b4094ac8f767996a801f42025-01-06T09:01:46ZengPresses universitaires de RennesRevue LISA1762-61532009-03-01712014010.4000/lisa.91De l’usage de l’intertexte biblique dans quelques poèmes de George Herbert et de John DonneJean-Louis BreteauControversial as the underlying theology of metaphysical poetry may be, such poets as George Herbert and John Donne extensively resorted to the use of the biblical intertext, and they had a thorough knowlege of both the hermeneutics and the poetics of their time. As a matter of fact, they cared more about conforming to the Word than to their Church’s rites and forms. And yet they did not read Scripture literally, but, like their contemporaries, freely indulged in the practice of typology, while displaying a great mastery of such poetic devices as emblems or conceits. Some differences can nevertheless be identified between Herbert’s and Donne’s respective approaches to religious poetry. In this study, a few poems are closely examined. “Easter Wings” and “Prayer I” can be seen to exemplify Herbert’s so-called “plain”, but in fact very elaborate, writing, while “Good Friday” and “At the round earth’s imagined corners” illustrate Donne’s paradoxical and ironical ways.https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/91
spellingShingle Jean-Louis Breteau
De l’usage de l’intertexte biblique dans quelques poèmes de George Herbert et de John Donne
Revue LISA
title De l’usage de l’intertexte biblique dans quelques poèmes de George Herbert et de John Donne
title_full De l’usage de l’intertexte biblique dans quelques poèmes de George Herbert et de John Donne
title_fullStr De l’usage de l’intertexte biblique dans quelques poèmes de George Herbert et de John Donne
title_full_unstemmed De l’usage de l’intertexte biblique dans quelques poèmes de George Herbert et de John Donne
title_short De l’usage de l’intertexte biblique dans quelques poèmes de George Herbert et de John Donne
title_sort de l usage de l intertexte biblique dans quelques poemes de george herbert et de john donne
url https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/91
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