John Donne

Taking their cue from T. S. Eliot, most previous studies of Donne's poetry have concentrated on an analysis of the peculiar power of his imagery and the originality of his style. Consequently, no systematic study has been made of his indebtedness to previous poetic or intellectual tradition. John Donne: Conservative Revolutionary explores this question, arguing that Donne is a much more conventional poet, both in his sense of genre and in his attitude toward love, than usually considered. Assuming that one can best understand Donne's relationship to Ovidianism, Petrarchanism, and Christian Platonism by seeing them as Donne and his contemporaries saw them, the author attempts to show how a typical Renaissance humanist would interpret their works.

Originally published in 1967.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.