Cowley, Richard Crashaw, and Andrew Marvell,
concerned themselves with understanding reality,
and in particular how ideas manifest themselves in
the physical world. Their works were characterized
by clever wordplay that was intended to make
readers think about the ways that the poet’s
words, and, in particular, the mechanical structure
of the poem, reflected the complex mechanical
workings of the observable reality. The use of wit
in their poems, and particularly the use of the
metaphor that was often extended to such a degree
that its logic could strain the reader’s reasoning
faculties (referred to as a ‘‘metaphysical conceit’’),
helped to identify a writer as a metaphysical poet
more than any particular declaration of artistic
theory.
Historically, those who have been called
Metaphysical Poets were not intimately associ-
ated with each other. The name was given to
them by Samuel Johnson, who used the phrase
‘‘metaphysical poets’’ in his 1744 studyThe Lives
of the Poets. While Johnson was referring to the
philosophical connection between writers, this
does not necessarily mean that the writers them-
selves read each other’s works, let alone that they
would have planned to participate in a school of
poetry with one another.
In the early twentieth century, interest in
Metaphysical Poetry was revived. Especially
influential in this renewed interest was that liter-
ary criticism written by the poet T. S. Eliot,
whose 1923 essay, ‘‘The Metaphysical Poets,’’
along with other critical works, helped people
see that the poets who were put in this general
category were more than just clever, but actually
based their witty conceits and wording on deep
philosophical underpinnings. Many twentieth-
century poets show the influence of metaphysical
poetry in the way that they merge a poem’s form
with its ideas. Richard Wilbur, in particular, is
often referred to as a twentieth-century meta-
physical poet for his wit and his use of the meta-
physical conceit: not only does the apparent
lightheartedness of his approach belie a serious-
ness about existence, but he also is prone to use
one extended metaphor in a poem in order to
make readers think about a phenomenon from
different angles.Religion in the 1950s
American society during the 1950s is usually
characterized as conformist, and in many ways
this attitude applies to religious beliefs in social
life. While America has always been considered a
country that values religious freedom, the socialCOMPARE
&
CONTRAST 1950s:Catholic nuns wear the traditional
habit that covers the entire body and head.
Today:Since the Second Vatican Council of
1962, nuns have been allowed to opt for more
casual attire that makes it easier for them to
fit in socially with their parishioners.
1950s:In the wake of World War II, the
United States becomes an economic jugger-
naut. As a result, theologians and philoso-
phers fear that the country’s growing
obsession with material goods will undercut
spirituality.Today:The United States, spurred on by a
booming consumer economy, has become
increasingly secular (nonreligious).
1950s:The gallows that Wilbur mentions in
the poem are used less and less frequently.
Public support for the death penalty in the
United States is starting to decline. Mercy
for criminals who have been sentenced to die
is considered a sign of human compassion.
Today:The death penalty is becoming more
and more uncommon worldwide, though its
popularity in America has risen steadily
since the 1970s.Love Calls Us to the Things of This World