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clayjs's review
5.0
I don't know if it still is, but 10 years ago it was very en vogue to love John Donne. For a lot of people, he was the perfect marriage of modern sensibilities and non-shitty poetry, a combination that is not readily found. Finally, they thought, a Dead White Male I can enjoy while still maintaining my self-respect! Well, let me say, I'm happy for them. I like John Donne, too. But then, I mostly read Dead White Males. In fact, I'm not going to hold his passing or his penis against him, or anyone else for that sake.
Cards on the table, Donne's technical skill is often wanting, which is not something I forgive easily. It can be distracting. Nonetheless, he makes for a fascinating read. He did nothing halfway (except prosody). His poems all exist somewhere along a line drawn from sensuality to religious fervor, and they frequently waver rapidly back and forth along the spectrum, spitting out beautiful and original imagery along the way. From the playful despondency of "Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star" to the delightfully macabre "The Flea" to the touchingly somber "Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," Donne's war against his own impulses, his victories and defeats, are a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon.
Cards on the table, Donne's technical skill is often wanting, which is not something I forgive easily. It can be distracting. Nonetheless, he makes for a fascinating read. He did nothing halfway (except prosody). His poems all exist somewhere along a line drawn from sensuality to religious fervor, and they frequently waver rapidly back and forth along the spectrum, spitting out beautiful and original imagery along the way. From the playful despondency of "Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star" to the delightfully macabre "The Flea" to the touchingly somber "Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," Donne's war against his own impulses, his victories and defeats, are a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon.
peter_fischer's review
5.0
I am not actually an aficionado of poetry, but I love Donne’s work: the beautiful rhythms and sentiments are just wonderful, as is his unique use of language.
astralvirgo25's review
funny
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
He was a bizarre man with strange ideas about women (1600s ik but does that explain The Flea?) but some lines were actually beautiful or hilarious.
theohume's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Antisemitism