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The Flea by John Donne (Add on from original lead)

“The Flea”, an erotic metaphorical poem (First published posthumously in 1663), is known for its analogy of sex to a flea sucking the blood of a virgin. John Donne's (1572-1631). Although the exact date of this composition is unknown, it is possible that Donne wrote ,"The Flea" while he was a law student at (Lincolns Inn), before he became a respected religious figure as Dean of (St.Pauls Cathedral.)

(This text along with many other of Donne’s poems solidify his place in the literary movement^ ,creating what is now known as Metaphysical poetry. Although the term was not found until after his death, it is still widely used and will continue to be traced back to work such as, “The Flea”.)

The Flea(Poem) by John Donne

The Flea

Criticism

Donnes' work was not as taboo during the 16 century due to other metaphorical sightings of the flea in “”.Anthony Low, wrote that Donne invented a new kind of private love that people can learn to appreciate. Achsah Guibbory, challenged Low saying, "The Flea", focuses on Donne's capacity for arrogance and misogyny making his poetry crude in today society.

Guibbory argued that the detailed descriptions of women's bodies in a sexual way give a negative reaction for todays women readers. Low states there is an initial shock for readers, but instead attempts to look at the poem as a tool to create a new space for mutual love in lyric poetry.

Tone

Tone in a poem determines a readers mood and how they feel about the text. "The Flea" according too Luciano is effective in the way it conveys the idea of a women giving her silent consent. Donne use of lines such as "In this flea our two bloods mingled be ", give an impression of the speaker’s sexual desires through the image of the flea onto a virgin women. Instead of bringing to light the women's voice, the flea is the first thing that is mentioned. 

Word choice has an impact into the tone of a poem;

"How little that which thou deniest me is,

It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee

And in this blood our two bloods mingled be"

"Cruel and sudden, hast thou since

Purpled thy nail , in blood of innocence?"

Laurence Perrine proposed that, most critics of the poem infer that the speaker of the poem is successful in his attempt to woo the virgin woman. Perrine argues that there is evidence the speaker is unsuccessful in his attempt to persuade the virgin women to lay with him.

The use of harsh wording in these lines, “Cruel and Sudden”, agree with Perrines statement, since the women crushed the flea it is a possibility she is rejecting his proposal. While the speaker makes her feel guilty for it. This poem is beyond the declaration of devotion that is normally in love poems, and is replaced with religious and grotesque imagery to woo the virgin woman.

Typography

Typography The Flea

Typography is defined as the style or appearance of printed matter in order to give a certain effect to best convey a meaning in a poem. And can be seen in early writings of Donne's' poem ,"The Flea" the letter ‘s’ when written at the beginning of a word becomes longer typographically, looking more like the letter ‘f’, the visual of line three,

"Me it suck'd first, and now sucks thee",

Could allude to exactly what the narrator thought the flea ,and he himself wished, to be doing. During this period a written ’s’ closely resembled the letter ‘f’, rendering the line, ‘It suck’d me first, and now sucks thee,’ grotesque and obscene.     

Metaphysical Poetry

Donne (1572 – 1631) was the most influential metaphysical poet^. His personal relationship with religion and sexual relations seem to influence the majority of his work. The psychological analysis and sexual realism of his work are key to the development of poetic style. Nayeli Riano ^ believes “The Flea” gives a new outlook to metaphysical poetry combining philosophical and spiritual approach that conveys an obscene word choice.

Metaphysical poetry, the natural that too is unnatural, is seldom direct and easy to decipher; making it intellectually stimulating to read. Donne's themes are explained through unusual metaphors turning the strangest idea into the depiction of the human experience.

Sources

• Donne, John. “The Flea by John Donne.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46467/the-flea.
• Luciano, Iliana. "BLASÉ SPEAKERS; THE TONES OF SPEAKERS IN CARPE DIEM POETRY." (2014).
• “Metaphysical Poetry.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, poets.org/text/brief-guide-metaphysical-poets.
• Perrine, Laurence. “Explicating Donne: ‘The Apparition’ and ‘The Flea.’” College Literature, vol. 17, no. 1, 1990, pp. 1–20. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25111839.
• Riano, Nayeli. “A Foray Into Metaphysical Poetry With John Donne ~ The Imaginative Conservative.” The Imaginative Conservative, 15 Feb. 2019, theimaginativeconservative.org/2019/02/foray-metaphysical-poetry-john-donne-nayeli-riano.html.
• Smith, W. Bradford. "What is Metaphysical Poetry?." The Sewanee Review 42.3 (1934): 261-272.
• The Cambridge Companion to John Donne. Ed. Achsah Guibbory.  Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006. (CL 821.3 C178)
• Low, A. (1993). John Donne: “Defects of lonelinesse”. In The Reinvention of Love: Poetry, Politics and Culture from Sidney to Milton (pp. 31-64). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511551680.004