Decay, Intimacy, and the Lyric Metaphor in John Donne

Abstract:I argue that John Donne uses descriptions of bodily decay to explore the potential for intimacy between lovers and the role lyric plays in its creation. As the physical boundaries that delimit individual bodies dissolve, Donne envisions a moment when lovers might materially blend and fuse to a degree that would otherwise be impossible. The effects of this conceit are twofold: first, focusing on decay allows Donne to emphasize the role of corporeality and reject a Neo-Platonic hierarchy of being. And second, Donne uses this conceit to develop a theory of the lyric that emphasizes its ability to transcend material reality in order to create and maintain a hyperbolic vision of intimacy in the face of separation.