This course focuses on the literature of two of the most important writers of all time, John Donne and John Milton. Rather through sermons, erotic poems, elegies, epigrams, satires, drama, or epics, these two writers challenge their readers’ expectations today as much as they did during their own time. They wrote about sex, theology, travel, politics, sickness, death, sin, and repentance, often all at once. Donne’s metaphysical poetry redefined how future poets would use metaphors, and Milton’s polemics are often cited as the first defense of the freedom of speech. These poets believe the purpose of literature is to deliver truth, which is not only knowable but can only be truly experienced through learning transferable skills such as attending to language, form, meter, and ideas. In addition to studying literature itself, students will focus on various contexts relevant to these writers, from the violent political relationship between Catholics and Protestants to the unprecedented cultural influence of the King James Bible. By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of Donne and Milton, seventeenth-century English culture, and the important relationship between literature and Christianity, in addition to enhancing their confidence as writers.
