Other Metaphysical Poets
John Donne belongs to a school of poets dubbed the "Metaphysical Poets" which included many of his contemporaries. The category was first suggested by Samuel Johnson in the 18th century, essentially pejoratively, then recuperated by T.S. Eliot in a critical essay in the 20th century. Because of this, there are some differences of opinion as to who is included in this school. And unlike, say, the British Romantics, this school was not conceptualized by its members themselves: there was no shared program, no concerted efforts concerning English poetry besides the few social connections some of these poets shared. Additionally, many were independently concerned with...
