What is Metaphysical Poetry and What Are Its Characteristics?

Metaphysical poetry, a term coined by Samuel Johnson, has its roots in 17th-century England. This type of poetry is witty, ingenious and highly philosophical. Its topics included love, life and existence. Metaphysical poetry used literary elements of similes, metaphors, imagery, paradoxes, conceit, and far-fetched views of reality.

Conceit – Meaning, Types and Examples in English Literature

Conceit - Meaning, Types and Examples in English Literature 4

Conceit and Metaphysical Conceit The word ‘conceit’ means ‘a concept or an image’. A conceit in literature is an extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or an entire poem. A conceit invites the reader into a more sophisticated understanding of a comparison object by juxtaposing, usurping, and manipulating images and … Read more

The Pulley By George Herbert : Summary and Explanation

The Pulley By George Herbert : Summary and Explanation 5

The poem, The Pulley, centres on the theme of relationship between God and his best creation, that is, man. God, the ultimate father-figure to mankind, uses his special pulley to draw man back to him, once man’s scheduled quota is over on this planet earth. He (God) does it for the good of mankind. The Pulley portrays the life of a man as he grows up experiencing certain aspects of life and in the process developing a relationship.

And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time By William Blake: Summary and Questions

And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time By William Blake: Summary and Questions 6

This poem ‘And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time’ is inspired by the Book Revelations and the Second Coming of Jesus for the
establishment of a new Jerusalem with indicative words ‘Jerusalem builded’ and ‘chariot of fire’. This is why this poem is sometimes referred to as ‘The New Jerusalem’. It is also a reference to the setting up of a new society with the onset of the Industrial Revolution.

The Centaur: Summary and Questions

The Centaur: Summary and Questions 7

"The Centaur" is one of the most popular and anthologized poems by May Swenson. In the poem, the poet re-creates the joy of riding a stick horse through the summer of a small town. We find ourselves, with her, straddling "a long limber horse with . . . a few leaves for a tail," and running through the beautiful dust along the course of the old canal. As her form shifts from child to horse and back, we know exactly what she feels like.

Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte – Plot Summary

Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte - Plot Summary 8

First published in 1847, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is one of the most widely read and admired novels of English literature. The novel is admired not only for its thrilling tale of passion and vengeance but also  for its power of imagery, its complex structure, and its ambiguity – the very elements that confounded its first critics.

The Pilgrim’s Progress- Summary, Critical Analysis and Solved Questions

John Bunyan"s The Pilgrim’s Progress is, perhaps, one of such prose writings as constitute the meaningful landmarks which one cannot easily ignore. Generically, thematically and structurally too, the work by Bunyan evades any type of specifications. You may call it an allegory, or even a theological tract within a framework of fiction.

anyone lived in a pretty how town – Summary, Analysis, Questions and Style

anyone lived in a pretty how town - Summary, Analysis, Questions and Style 9

This poem, “anyone lived in a pretty how town,” is one of the most popular and anthologized poems by CC Cummings. It is about a man named Anyone who is not well- liked by the someones and everyones in the town because he is absolutely different and special. Anyone sings and dances, but the townspeople don’t heed him or care about him. Indeed, they’re too busy with their very own lives to even discover him.

The Introduction’ By Anne Kingsmill Finch- Summary, Analysis and Questions

The Introduction' By Anne Kingsmill Finch- Summary, Analysis and Questions 10

The picture of a woman poet frustrated by the restrictions imposed by society on her is seen clearly in "The Introduction". The poet begins   anticipating what critics would say about her lines: "And all might say, they’re by a Woman writt." A woman writer is viewed as "an intruder on the rights of men" and a "presumptuous Creature" who should desire woman’s proper accomplishments, namely, "Good breeding, fassion, dancing, dressing, play."