Favorite 17th c. metaphysical poet?

Pat~

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Anybody else out there a fan of metaphysical poetry? If so, who is your favorite English 17th c. metaphysical poet? (Some options: John Donne, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Thomas Traherne, Abraham Cowley, Richard Cranshaw, Andrew Marvell, Thomas Carew, Edward Herbert, Richard Lovelace...) My favorite is probably George Herbert, but it's a personal thing...
 
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John Donne, hands down, then Herbert, then it's the Cavaliers/Jonsonians . . .

Crashaw makes me laugh. These are some of my absolute favorites to teach.
 

William Haskins

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hmm

not a big fan, to be honest. donne was certainly a craftsman, but if i had to choose one, it'd be marvell.

so much of the metaphysical stuff reeks of empty formalism to me.

probably because i'm a heathen, though, so your mileage may vary.

-william
 

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William Haskins said:
not a big fan, to be honest. donne was certainly a craftsman, but if i had to choose one, it'd be marvell.

With Donne, I think it helps to know his sources, so to speak, but it's particularly important to unravel the syntax of his sentences.

Marvell too I'm fond of; I'd hate to pick just one, really.
 

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Tie

Donne and Herbet are tied for me. Donne is probably the better from a pure artistry standpoint, but there is something about Herbert's poems that speak to me more personally.