Description
John Donne composed poetry over the span of several decades, from the 1590s through the early years of the seventeenth century, during a period of profound religious, political, and cultural change in England. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Donne didn’t publish any collections of poetry during his lifetime. Instead, his poems circulated privately in handwritten manuscripts among friends, patrons, and members of the educated elite, acquiring a wide readership long before they appeared in print. The first collected edition was published posthumously in 1633, two years after Donne’s death, and was followed by numerous expanded editions that included...
