A Silent God in John Donne's "Holy Sonnets"

Readers since the middle seventeenth century have found the sermons and poetry of John Donne to be rather controversial. Being an Anglican priest, readers may expect his work to evince the progress toward one's sense of a caring God, faith, and spiritual health. However, these expectations fall short very quickly. The works of John Donne rarely, if at all, seem to give some impetus towards spiritual progression and a closeness with God. Most of his …

…Janyce Marson. <Tab/>Broomall: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. Harrison, G. B. Major British Writers. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World Inc., 1967. "Holy Sonnet 10." Poetry for Students. Vol. 2. Gale. 1997. 2 Feb. 2006 <Tab/><http://www.galegroup.com/>. Wall, John N., Jr. "Donne's Wit of Redemption: The Drama of Prayer in the Holy <Tab/><Tab/>Sonnets." Studies in Philology 73 (1976).