John Donnes Language of Disease reveals the influence of medical knowledge -- a rapidly changing field in early modern England -- on Donnes thinking and writing.
John Donnes Language of Disease reveals the influence of medical knowledge a rapidly changing field in early modern England on the poetry and prose of John Donne (15721631). This knowledge played a crucial role in shaping how Donne understood his everyday experiences, and how he conveyed those experiences in his work. Examining a wide range of his texts through the lens of medical history, this study contends that Donne was both a product of his period and a remarkable exception to it. He used medical language in unexpected and striking ways that made his ideas resonate with his original audience and that still illuminate his ideas for readers today.
Conventions and Notes
Introduction: Exploring Donnes Dynamic Comparisons
PART I
1 More Than Skin Deep: Dissecting Donnes Imagery of Humours
2 Cures and Currency in Donnes Letters to Patrons
3 Swollen Desires: Dropsy and Donnes Writing
PART II
4 We May Have Recourse: Describing Illness in Donnes Devotions
5 Sinfull Inough to Infect: Donnes Imagery of Contagion
6 Holy Perfume: The Fragrance of Cures in Donnes Sermons
Conclusion: How Lame a Picture: Depicting the Sick Body
Bibliography
Index
Alison Bumke is Assistant Professor of Seventeenth-Century Literature and Drama at the University of Nottingham.
