A review by magnetgrrl
The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Donne by John Donne

5.0

Um, it's Donne. There's not a lot to say without writing a thesis. I've read some of his meditations and sonnets and sermons but remember mostly just the famous stuff; Meditation XVII, "The Canonization" and "Hymn to God, My God, in my Sickness" to name a few. I particularly like the Holy Sonnets. I'm a big fan of 17th century poetry in general but of all poetry, ever, Donne has written some of the best. His poems are inventive with their imagery and intensely personal, though they remain true to metrical forms. Personally I think free verse has made everyone think they can be a poet by simply emoting in incomplete sentences. When you're tired of reading poetry that's little more than someone whining over their last breakup a la William Shatner, read "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" and experience some of the most timeless, universal, and creative images describing lovers parting that were ever written.