This thesis traces a stylistic development from the dichotomy of plainness and
eloquence in Elizabethan style, through the stylistic innovations of Ben Jonson and John
Donne to the ultimate synthesis of the two styles in George Herbert's poetry. To
accomplish this, the thesis reads a selection of their works closely, paying particular
attention to the effects of style on the reader's reception of a poem's content. A
progression is observed, in which Jonson demonstrates that ornamental language does not
necessarily obscure truth; Donne uses that eloquence for didactic purposes, to illuminate
paradoxical truth; and Herbert enlists delightful language within a plain style in his effort
to communicate persuasively in his devotional lyrics. Thus the development of the
“metaphysical” style is read not as an adoption of classical or continental style, but as a
response to the problems of style inherited from the Elizabethan dichotomy between
plainness and eloquence.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:NSHD.ca#10222/14195 |
| Date | 26 August 2011 |
| Creators | Faber, Joel |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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