Hello, all! Nice going today. I want to start class on Wednesday with a general discussion of the following two-part question, so please come prepared (I may actually go around the room and get a response from each of you):
* What, according to you, is the central issue or question being struggled with in Donne's Holy Sonnets? Is this struggle strictly religious/spiritual?
We'll then look at some individual poems as case studies. Please come to class armed with a sonnet that you find particularly compelling. With 15 people in the room, we obviously won't be able to get to everyone--indeed, we'll probably only get through a few poems--but I like the idea of having you guys provide the raw material this time around.
Towards the end of the class session I will elicit from you some broad, final comments on Donne's poetry, so I think it will also be useful for you to Think Big about Donne over the next couple days. Consider questions such:
-- In what ways is Donne's voice and imagination singular? That is, what does he seem to be doing that other writers aren't?
-- In what ways, on the other hand, is Donne very much of his time, part of his culture?
-- What does Donne teach us about the relationship between religion and eroticism or imagination and faith?
See you guys on Wednesday! Happy thinking!
