Who is considered the founder of metaphysical poetry?

Who is considered the founder of metaphysical poetry?

• A. John Donne
• B. George Herbert
• C. Andrew Marvell
• D. Henry Vaughan

Answer: (A)

Metaphysical poetry uses sharp wit, extended intellectual conceits, and an argument-like rhythm that blends reason with strong emotion. John Donne is regarded as the founder because he established this distinctive approach in the early 17th century, showing how love, religion, and philosophy can be explored in the same verse through clever images and striking comparisons. His poems—often built on clever conceits and a balance of body and spirit—set the pattern for what the movement would become. Works like The Flea demonstrate how a tiny, unlikely image can carry a serious argument about love and union, while A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning uses precise, almost scientific imagery to describe eternal bond and distance. That blend of intellectual playfulness with intimate feeling is the hallmark of metaphysical poetry Donne helped define, and later poets such as George Herbert, Andrew Marvell, and Henry Vaughan expanded on that foundation in different directions.

Metaphysical poetry uses sharp wit, extended intellectual conceits, and an argument-like rhythm that blends reason with strong emotion. John Donne is regarded as the founder because he established this distinctive approach in the early 17th century, showing how love, religion, and philosophy can be explored in the same verse through clever images and striking comparisons. His poems—often built on clever conceits and a balance of body and spirit—set the pattern for what the movement would become.

Works like The Flea demonstrate how a tiny, unlikely image can carry a serious argument about love and union, while A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning uses precise, almost scientific imagery to describe eternal bond and distance. That blend of intellectual playfulness with intimate feeling is the hallmark of metaphysical poetry Donne helped define, and later poets such as George Herbert, Andrew Marvell, and Henry Vaughan expanded on that foundation in different directions.