A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

Despite being widely studied today, Donne’s poems were not originally meant for the public. Though he prolifically wrote during his lifetime, he did not write for publication; he published only a few of his poems and it is noted that he regretted doing so. During the time Donne was writing, lyric poetry was meant to adhere to its traditional oral roots. However, Donne’s poems tend to be more dialogic, conversational, and ambiguous—addressed to a more intimate, private audience. For instance, some of the Songs and Sonnets contain hints at this original private audience. In “A Valediction of My Name in the Window,” Donne writes, “‘Tis more, that it shows thee to thee, / And clear reflects thee to thine eye.” This merger of “more” with Anne More indicates Donne most likely left subtle hints to his intimate audience.

Donne also did not write for the public because of England’s religious stronghold of culture at the time; published manuscripts were subject to increased levels of censorship and—because Donne often wrote to challenge accepted norms and often wrote about risqué topics such as sex and morality—he therefore preferred the safeguard of a private audience. However, in the 1620s, Donne’s poems began to escape the insular, trusted circle he created, resulting in an increased public demand for his work. Though the few decades following this death showed the influence he had had on English poets, he eventually fell out of favor and was erased from the English poetic memory.

During the Restoration period, Donne was seldom regarded as one of the major players in English poetry and his work was not widely studied nor celebrated. The Victorians were particularly divided when regarding the inclusion of Donne’s poetry in their anthologies. When compiling the most popular Victorian poetry anthology of the time, Alexander Grosart remarked, “It takes courage to print the poetry of Dr. John Donne in our age.” Many scholars credit Donne’s revival to the admiration of his work by avant-garde writers at the end of the 19th century. His revival is additionally credited to admiration from several essential poets such as Robert Browning, W.B. Yeats, and T.S. Elliot. Browning often quoted Donne’s verse in his love letters to Elizabeth Barrett. T.S. Elliot was fond of Donne’s exceptional use of paradox; many scholars mark Elliot’s modernist essays in the early 20th century as a point of cultural revival for Donne, whereby Eliot noted his appreciation of Donne’s genius. In the 21st century, Donne is widely studied in poetic circles, included on necessary reading lists, and referenced as an essential English poet.