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The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Donne (Modern Library)

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Metaphysical poets were not all randy adolescents, but beneath the sensuous seduction of Donne's love poetry can be felt the endearing ingenuity of a cad. Combined with the powerful sincerity of his religious poems and divine meditations, the wit and intensity of a sensitive and naked poet become vivid. Donne wrote to be read by friends and this intimacy is apparent - there is a strong sense of being enclosed in the same room as the poet in a rare meditation. Donne is important both in igniting religous poetry and as a precursor to poets such as T S Eliot, but more importantly he is one of the greatest individual poets in the language. His 'unclassical' roughness which threatened him with obscurity now speaks clearly of his profound force of feeling blazing into thought.

This book would be enriching for anyone who loves poetry, religion, love or pretty much anything else.

John Donne is the most controversial poet to ever write in English, the focus of controversy for four centuries. He put out almost no poems in life, but they were widely circulated in manuscript, and their publication a few years after his death immediately made him a major poet. His status remained high until Samuel Johnson dismissed him in the late eighteenth century. The Romantic Era saw a mini-revival, and he always had at least a cult following, but obscurity seemed poised to engulf him until T. S. Eliot extolled him in the early twentieth century. This initiated a renaissance possibly making Donne more popular than ever, and though the fever pitch has died down somewhat, he remains in the upper echelon of English poets - one of the handful to have truly entered world literature - and shows no sign of moving.

Debate has always centered on Donne's wildly inventive tropes, particularly what became known as metaphysical conceits. Johnson famously condemned them by saying, "the most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together," and many have agreed, finding Donne overly flashy and prosaic while lacking high seriousness and beauty. However, at least as many have thought the opposite, finding him brilliantly creative, ever-inventive, and resoundingly fresh. Donne is indeed one of the most original poets in modern times. His metaphors are certainly attention-grabbing, highly imaginative, and - against all odds - superbly executed, but they are hardly his only brilliant yet controversial feature. For instance, he is also notable for choppy rhythms closely approximating everyday speech. This truly made him stand out in an era when formal classical models were the norm and even prompted contemporary Ben Jonson to quip that he deserved hanging. However, it possibly makes him stand out even more now - partly because centuries of poets have followed his lead but also because he reads nothing like his contemporaries. His verse has a living, breathing quality that is distinctly modern; far from seeming old or stuffy, it is hard to believe his work is nearly as old as it is. To think he wrote when Shakespeare did is truly mind-boggling. As all this suggests, he has had a profound influence on later poets from the next generation until today - not least because he was among the first to introduces satires and elegies into English. He remains the gold standard for poets striving for wit as well as puns, inversions, and other forms of wordplay; even his greatest detractors admit that, for what it is worth, Donne is unequaled here.

Notable and influential as Donne has been with form, his content is at least as remarkable. He was one of the era's leading playboys in youth, and it shows; his early poems deal almost exclusively with love and are often daringly erotic. Some of his boldest metaphors come into play here, many of which - such as comparing the exploration of a naked woman to finding America - are still widely discussed. Considering these poems were written more than four hundred years ago, the sheer audacity is amazing, and we begin to see why they were not published. Many are also humorous, and nearly all are memorable. However, not all the love poems are light-hearted; indeed, few have written so widely and movingly of love as Donne. Many poems deal with love's dark side, including infidelity and other forms of betrayal; others are philosophical with varying conclusions. The most notable and striking feature of all the love poems, though, is their highly emotional nature and compelling immediacy. It is easy to see that Donne wrote the poems for intimates, as they seem to almost leap off the page as very few poems - much less ones of such vintage - can. Among other things, he was the undisputed master of English dramatic monologues before Robert Browning. Very few writers have written so diversely yet with such consistency about love, and Donne would be a great writer if he wrote nothing else.

Yet he wrote far more. The love poems consist mostly of what became known as his Songs and Sonnets as well as many of the Elegies, but he also used this last to explore other issues, most notably theology. In addition, he wrote a Heroic Epistle in Sappho's voice that was even more audaciously erotic, reveling in things then absolutely unmentionable such as lesbianism, masturbation, and ejaculation. Donne also composed many Epigrams which, though short, show some of his keenest wit. Not least influentially, his several Satires popularized a form that has since led to some of the most enduring English verse. Many of his subjects were then conventional - the court, merchants, lawyers, bad poets, etc. -, but he also used the form to explore the kind of deeper issues, again including theology, that few are willing or able to pursue in the form. Donne's versatility even extended to verse letters, the source for many of his wittiest and most famous lines. He wrote in other miscellaneous genres - from marriage songs to funeral elegies to epitaphs - as well as several translations, all of which are worthy and interesting.

However, love songs aside, Donne's most famous poetic works are his Divine Poems, including the nineteen legendary Holy Sonnets. This may seem strange, even paradoxical, from one who had been such a rake, but when Donne finally settled down, he did it for real - not only marrying and staying faithful to his wife but embracing another kind of faith. He came from a strong Catholic family in a time when Catholicism was literally illegal and caused severe social stigma. He remained with the religion through much adversity but eventually converted to Anglicanism and even became a priest. His life's central pivot, this has long been a contentious biographical debate. Some cynically say he turned to the priesthood only as a last resort, but many - including contemporary and biographer Izaak Walton - claim that, however wild his youth, his conversion was sincere. What is certain is that he quickly rose in the Church, soon becoming Dean of London's St. Paul's Cathedral, and turned into one of the era's most powerful and popular preachers.

But all this is really aftermath, as many - probably even most - of the religious poems precede his priesthood, including the Holy Sonnets. These works' theological reach is remarkable, seemingly exploring nearly every aspect of religion - from theodicy and doubt to eschatology to the proper forms of devotion. Fervent sincerity comes across, but so do deep yearning and genuine questioning; the poems are almost as immediate as those dealing with love. Nor is this the only similarity; just as the love poems had surprising religious imagery - e.g., comparing lovers to saints -, these often use images of love and even eroticism. As this suggests, they are often far from orthodox, and it is possible to see Donne struggling against former ways - not least in the famous poem beginning "Batter my heart, three person'd God." The love for elastic metaphors and subtle wordplay also remains. In short, the poems are compelling enough in both form and content to interest and even enthrall those of any religion.

It need hardly be said that anyone who likes poetry must read Donne. Not all will like him; some will even loathe him, as detractors usually think him one of the most overrated poets - perhaps even the most. However, all must find out for themselves. His quality and diversity are so great that a collected edition is not only ideal but essential - and all the easier in that he was not that prolific, his complete poems coming to about 300 pages. Many complete editions exist, and this is about midrange in terms of price and supplemental material. Unlike many editions, though, it also has much prose. Donne wrote more prose than poetry, practically ceasing the latter after becoming a priest. Though not nearly as revered as his poetry, much of it is excellent, some has even become famous, and almost all is readable. That said, not everyone who likes the poems will like the prose. They certainly share many characteristics, including love of elaborate language, but reactions will vary greatly. Like nearly everyone, I bought this book for the poetry; I had read little of the prose and really did not know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. The prose has not aged as well as the poems but is almost never dull and often very interesting. As in the poems, there is substantial diversity, but there is more quality variation. Also, though the majority of Donne's prose is here - more than half the book is in fact prose -, not all works are given in full. I thus offer a rundown.

There are more than a dozen extracts, totaling about twenty pages, from the early book Juvenilia; or Certain Paradoxes and Problems. These are light-hearted - really no more than an excuse to exercise wit - and though entertaining and often humorous, are quite minor. Much the same can be said for the handful of pages excerpted from Characters, Essay, and Conceited News.

Far more interesting is Biathanatos, a theological suicide defense written was at Donne's lowest ebb - near-penniless with a growing family. Sadly, practically nothing is included but a few pages of prefaces, which leads one to seek the full work but seems unfairly tantalizing and is above all puzzling.

There is a slightly more substantial excerpt from Pseudo-Martyr, a work written shortly after Donne's conversion and seemingly almost entirely to win King James' much-needed favor. The work is remarkable in that it defends the requirement that Catholics take the Oath of Allegiance - the very Oath Donne had suffered under, even being denied university degrees because of it! It is of great interest biographically as a very public Catholicism renunciation; he could not go back, and it probably made his priesthood inevitable. However, though well written, the work is now of mostly historical value.

Even more stunning in this way is Ignatius His Conclave, a vicious satire on the Jesuits here given in full. The work's very existence is highly ironic in that the Jesuits educated the young Donne and that the work itself is highly influenced by Catholic writer Dante's famous Inferno, but there is no denying the virtuoso wit and the strength of the acidly humorous satire. The historical and theological subtleties are of course now all but lost on the great majority of readers, but these strengths still shine clearly regardless of religious persuasion.

The book also includes a generous selection of Donne's letters - several dozen -, which are of great interest to fans and scholars for their mass of biographical information. General readers will be far less interested, but the wit Donne seemed incapable of holding back gives significantly more entertainment than one might expect.

The rest of the prose is solemnly religious, ranging from a series of five prayers to the famous Devotions upon Emergent Occasions to actual sermons. A series of meditations and prayers written after a near-death experience, Devotions contains Donne's most famous prose and is excellent and valuable regardless of one's views. It unflinchingly describes the progress of sickness, here standing for the fragility and worthlessness of bodily life generally, with associated theological thoughts, questions, and conclusions. Non-Christians will of course disagree with the final comfort taken in heavenly redemption, but the honest and searching look at human suffering is sadly universal. The prose is also magnificent, and several phrases - "for whom the bell tolls," "no man is an island" - have become so famous that many who have never even heard of Donne use them routinely. The work is thankfully here in great part, encompassing more than fifty pages.

The sermons make up a substantial part of the prose section; there are dozens stretching over one hundred pages. It is a representative selection containing Donne's most important and famous sermons, focusing particularly on those from special days - Easter, Christmas, St. Paul's Conversion - as well as those preached before the king and/or nobility. That Donne frequently had such guests is a testament to his stature, and the sermons indeed remain compelling. Those who do not share his religion will have a far harder time than with the other prose works, but Donne's verbal inventiveness is still strong enough to impress even those who violently disagree. The sermons indeed give a fascinating peek into an era when preachers and sermons differed greatly from today. Incredible as it seems, preachers were then not only intellectually respected but even considered learning's height. Doctor of Divinity degrees were essential, and preachers had to be conversant with the Bible in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin - not to mention familiar with Early Church Fathers and numerous other related writings. Donne was particularly erudite, as is obvious from the numerous things he includes that would never be found in a typical sermon now: Bible quotes in numerous languages, references to a wide variety of theologians in several languages, and even foreign language quotes from pagan writers. Unlike nearly all today's preachers, Donne was also well-versed in science; his sermons have many references to scientists of the time, especially Copernicus and Galileo, and though he does not always agree, he at least knew their work. The non-religious may scoff at the fact that, for all Donne's relative education and intelligence, he cites the sun's motion as evidence of God's majesty - though he elsewhere seems to agree with Copernicus. This aside, the sermons are of high historical value - not only because of the many contemporary references, but also because of how much Christian theology has changed. In stunning contrast to the relentlessly upbeat, positively uplifting messages now blasted from churches, Donne is almost ubiquitously solemn, even downbeat. He constantly stresses life's pains and miseries with a nearly obsessive focus on death and decay. "Death's Duel," his famous final sermon and often called his own funeral elegy, is especially dark. Skeptics may be wryly amused that it and related works are actually supposed to inspire reverence and devotion, but Donne always falls back on resurrection and heavenly redemption as final proof of God's mercy and justification for bodily and other earthly ills. Whatever one thinks of this, his arguments are strong as far as they go - especially by current standards -, and the language is challenging, sparkling, and alive.

Readers must decide how much prose, if any, they want. Those seeking poems only or less prose can find a more affordable edition, and the few who want more prose must look elsewhere - though they will be very hard-pressed to find a more generous selection for the price. Much the same goes for the book as a whole; one could hardly do better content-wise. Editorially speaking, the story is far different. The collection is somewhat lacking in supplemental material, especially compared to more deluxe editions; hard-cores and scholars will certainly need more. It will satisfy nearly all others with one possible caveat - in contrast to nearly all current publications of works from this and even from later eras, spelling and punctuation are virtually unchanged. Purists will be gratified, especially as such changes would sometimes throw off meter. However, it makes things difficult - arguably unreasonably so - for general readers, especially with the prose. As in all such cases, it becomes almost second nature after a relatively short time, but some casuals will be turned off to the extent that the book will be all but useless to them.

In summary, anyone wanting all of Donne's poetry plus his most important prose and not bothered by archaisms will have a feast with this affordable and easily available edition, and Donne's poems in some form belong on every poetry lover's bookshelf.

I agree with all the positive things said about Donne on this page. Also, this book's great strength is its breadth, including poems, letters, sermons, and other writings of Donne. One gets all the poems and most of his available prose. The only difficulty I had is that all of the poems are presented without any effort to modernize the spelling of words. Often, this distracts from a more perfect enjoyment of Donne's wit, sentiment, conceits and emotions. For those who might find antiquated spelling a distraction, I recommend they find another edition.

As the years go by, and my range of knowledge grows, I find myself being drawn back again and again to John Donne. Unlike one of the previous reviewers, I do share his religion and even practice a more modern version of his denomination. Still there is something more there. As far as comparing Donne with Eliot, although I think Eliot was a great poet, there is more depth of feeling in Donne's work. However, one must consider that Eliot put his wife away (literally) when she became an embarassment because her mental problems. Since these turned out to be hormonally driven, this betrayal is all the more tragic. Donne, on the other hand, after years of carousing, found his soul mate and his one true love and continued to be devoted to her years after she died. As great as this love was, his writings show that, although he was afraid to trust the promises made by his God, he loved him even more. Now, that is devotion and that is the root of wonderful and beautiful thoughts he put to paper.

John Donne wrote some of the most beautiful, intelligent, and passionate poetry in the English language! With some poets you get 1 or 2 of these qualities: with Donne you get all 3, and so I highly recommend his poetry to all lovers of poetry and English literature. The language is archaic and at times difficult, but that's also some of its beauty and charm. What's more noteworthy but less noticed than the oldness of the language is how fresh and alive it still seems and must have seemed in centuries past! While I love Donne's poetry especially because of his intelligent and beautiful passion for God, even those without religious faith will appreciate the brilliance and glory of Donne's poetry.

If you're able to keep up with Donne's poetry, you'll discover startling phrases and juxtapositions which were frowned upon in ages past but which I find helps invigorate the modern reader. Whether your primary way of apprehending poetry is religious, intellectual, or aesthetic, Donne will be a delight to you as it does me. Donne's poetry also has a very personal association with me: when I was courting my wife and in the early years of my marriage, I would read her the poetry of Donne and George Herbert. She not only loved the poetry but loved me more for having read it to her!

This Modern Library "Complete Poetry and Selected Prose" is an excellent edition because it contains not only all of Donne's poetry but also a large sample of his best prose written in diverse genres. Because of the stunning nature of his poetry we sometimes forget that "No man is an island" and "send not to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee" are from one of his prose meditations.

Highly recommended!

This is the best collection of Donne poetry in its price range. It has all the poems and most of the prose you are likely to need for most classes that cover Donne. It could be even more affordable if Modern Library would make the work available for the Kindle.

John Donne is said to have been one of the greatest, if not THE greatest romantic poets in history... This book chronicles Donne's writing and the changes his writing underwent as the writer himself was changed from a womanizing play boy into a converted man of God...

Although I care less about his prose, John Donne wrote some very impressive and intuitive so-called love poetry, as well as religious poems that I like. A master of metaphor, he also shows great range of emotions, insight, and passion. My favorite work is his "divine poems" and his "songs and sonnets". Some really beautiful use of language and wise "deep" sentiments. The elegies also have some wonderful lines.

David Rehak
author of "Poems From My Bleeding Heart"

John Donne, the greatest poet to write in the English language.
John Donne's poetry cries truth from blood.
John Donne writes with blood
Blood is spirit.
The mind works against the spirit.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra.