Charis Charalampous seeks to illuminate John Donne’s spiritual poetic qualities and take that analysis on to argue that the metaphysical soul is not imprisoned in the physical body, in “Thinking of Feelings In Donne’s Poetry: The Signifying Rift and “The Evidence of Things Not Seen.”” This article’s thesis occurs at the end of the introductory paragraph, stating that Donne’s philosophical theories are intentionally utilized in his poetry. Evidence occurring early in the article includes Felicia McDuffie’s book on Donne, and interpretations of soul experiments by Ramie Targoff. Largely, the piece situates Donne’s poetry historically and literarily, but it also addresses that Donne’s poetry is not limited to his era; modern readers especially can have a sensual reaction to the poetry. Ultimately, Charalampous argues that because the soul is not imprisoned in the body, the individual can experience the divine. One such divine experience may be reading metaphysical poetry, because reading evokes a philosophical and emotional response.
Charalampous, Charis. "Thinking (of) Feeling in Donne's Poetry: "The Evidence of Things Not
Seen"." Religion & Literature, vol. 47, no. 1, 2015, pp. 61-98, www.jstor.org/stable/24752951.
