Brief Question of "The Metaphysical Poets". Premium Premium Content This content is available for premium subscribers only. Login or Subscribe to access premium content. Brief Question of "The Metaphysical Poets". Who was T.S. Eliot? Ans: T.S. Eliot was a great 20th-century poet, critic, and dramatist. How does Eliot describe 17th-century poetry? Ans: It is “more often named than read, and more often read than studied.” What is Eliot’s brief comment on Grierson’s anthology? Ans: He calls it “a piece of criticism, and a provocation of criticism.” How does Eliot brand Grierson’s “Metaphysical Poetry”? Ans: As a so-called school or movement of poetry. What is extremely difficult about metaphysical poetry? Ans: Defining it and deciding which poets and lines belong to it. Which two poets are nearest to Donne? Ans: Marvell and Bishop King. To which period does Donne’s poetry belong? Ans: The late Elizabethan period. Where did Jonson borrow from? Ans: From Latin. What is common in Donne and Cowley? Ans: Both use an elaborate poetic device. What device do Donne and Cowley use? Ans: Extending a figure of speech as far as possible. What simile is in Donne’s “A Valediction” lines? Ans: Between a geographer’s globe and a tear of the beloved. How does Eliot describe Donne’s line “A bracelet of bright hair about the bone”? Ans: As telescoping images and multiplying associations. Where does the force of the impeachment lie? Ans: In ideas being yoked but not truly united. How is Herbert’s language? Ans: Simple and elegant. What kind of simplicity is in Herbert’s language? Ans: Extreme simplicity, hard for modern poets to copy. How is Herbert’s sentence structure? Ans: Complex but true to thought and feeling. What method does Eliot suggest to define metaphysical poetry? Ans: Assume 17th-century poets were a natural growth from the previous age. What do later Elizabethan and Jacobean poets express? Ans: A sensibility not found in prose of their time. Who influenced the later dramatists (except Marlowe)? Ans: Montaigne. How was Marlowe as a dramatist? Ans: A man of prodigious intelligence. How are thought and feeling related in Chapman? Ans: Thought is felt directly, or turned into feeling. What is the similarity between Chapman and Donne? Ans: Both have a direct sensuous grasp of thought. When did dissociation of sensibility set in? Ans: In the 17th century. What are the features of the sentimental age? Ans: Revolt against reason and description; unbalanced thought and feeling. When would metaphysical poets not be called metaphysical? Ans: If poetry had continued directly from them without a break. When is a poet better for being more intelligent? Ans: When more intelligence gives him more interests. What quality does Eliot praise in the metaphysical poets despite faults? Ans: Their effort to find exact words for states of mind and feeling. What is not a permanent necessity for poets? Ans: Interest in philosophy or any one subject. What does our civilization comprehend? Ans: Great variety and complexity. What does Eliot think about “looking into our hearts”? Ans: It is not deep enough. What more is needed than looking into hearts? Ans: Looking into mind, nerves, and even bodily systems. What does Eliot regret about Grierson’s anthology? Ans: The omission of Townshend’s poem Dialogue between a Pilgrim and Time. What is dissociation of sensibility? Ans: Separation of thought from feeling in poetry after the 17th century. How did Johnson define metaphysical poetry? Ans: By pointing out its faults. Why is Donne more successful than Cowley? Ans: He uses short words and sharp contrasts in comparisons. What is extremely difficult about metaphysical poetry? Ans: To define it and decide its true examples. How is the experience of an ordinary man? Ans: Chaotic, irregular, and fragmentary. With whom does Eliot compare metaphysical poets? Ans: Dante, Guido Cavalcanti, Guinicelli, and Cino. How is the language of the metaphysical poets? Ans: Generally simple and pure. What does Eliot conclude about the metaphysical poets? Ans: They are in the main flow of English poetry; their faults should be judged by this standard. What is “sensibility” in Eliot’s view? Ans: A union of thought and feeling. Why does Eliot praise the metaphysical poets? Ans: For seeking exact words for mental and emotional states. What are some special qualities of metaphysical poets? Ans: Wit, originality, obscurity, and quaintness. Continue Reading Subscribe to access the full content Upgrade to Premium