In a reaction against Elizabethan-period poetry, 17th-century English poets such as John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, and Andrew Marvell began writing in a new style. Although derisively dubbed "metaphysical" because of its unseemly—that is, intellectual—nature, metaphysical poetry soon became appreciated for its remarkable blend of emotion and erudition, as evidenced by complex conceits, unconventional imagery, and the avoidance of smooth and regular meter. This program spotlights the works of the genre’s founder, John Donne, as Dr. Daniella Havenstein of Oxford University and Judith Aldridge of the University of Central England interpret and analyze some of his best-known poems, along with the works of other metaphysical poets. (30 minutes)