Meditation in the Holy Sonnets of John Donne: Close Reading of Holy Sonnets Xi, Vii, Xiii and Xix in the Light of 17th Century Meditational Practices

This book aims at examining a selection of the Holy Sonnets of John Donne from the viewpoint of the meditational practices of the author's age. All the Holy Sonnets are indebted to the practice of meditative prayer, however, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, as well as the Meditations on the Life of Christ, are examined in more detail, due to their predominance in the period. Through the close reading of Holy Sonnets XI, VII, XIII and XIX, all of which are poetic records of meditative prayer, the interdependece of meditation and poetic creation is demonstrated.