بدن‌ها، سیاست‌ها و دگرگونی‌ها: متامپسیکوز جان دان (فرهنگ‌های ادبی و علمی اوایل مدرنیته)

Throughout the twentieth century and since, critics have predominantly offered a negative evaluation of John Donne's Metempsychosis. In contrast, drawing on and contributing to recent scholarly work on the history of the body and on sexuality in the medieval and early modern periods, Siobhan Collins here situates Metempsychosis as a ludic text alert to and imbricated with the Elizabethan fascination with the processes and properties of transformation. This study places the poem's somatic representations of plants, beasts and humans within the context of early modern natural philosophy and medical, political and religious discourses of the period. It offers a far-reaching exploration of how Metempsychosis articulates philosophical inquiries that are central to early modern notions of self-identity and moral accountability, such as: the human capacity for autonomy; the place of the human in the 'great chain of being'; the relationship between cognition and embodiment, memory and selfhood; and the concept of wonder as a distinctly human phenomenon.Donne's Metempsychosis stages the oft-violent processes of change involved not just in the author's personal life but also in the intellectual, religious and political environment of his time. Collins re-evaluates Metempsychosis as a high point of Donne's poetic canon, using this genre-defying verse as a springboard to contribute significantly to our understanding of early modern concerns over the nature and borders of human identity and the notion of selfhood as mutable and in process. She contests the pervasive view that the work is incomplete, and illustrates how Metempsychosis is thematically linked with Donne's other work through its concern with the relationship between body and soul, and with transformation. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, critics have predominantly offered a negative estimate of John Donne's Metempsychosis. In contrast, this study of Metempsychosis re-evaluates the poem as one of the most vital and energetic of Donne's canon. Siobhán Collins appraises Metempsychosis for its extraordinary openness to and its inventive portrayal of conflict within identity. She situates this ludic verse as a text alert to and imbued with the Elizabethan fascination with the processes and properties of metamorphosis. Contesting the pervasive view that the poem is incomplete, this study illustrates how Metempsychosis is thematically linked with Donne's other writings through its concern with the relationship between body and soul, and with temporality and transformation. Collins uses this genre-defying verse as a springboard to contribute significantly to our understanding of early modern concerns over the nature and borders of human identity, and the notion of selfhood as mutable and in process. Drawing on and contributing to recent scholarly work on the history of the body and on sexuality in the early modern period, Collins argues that Metempsychosis reveals the oft-violent processes of change involved in the author's personal life and in the intellectual, religious and political environment of his time. She places the poem's somatic representations of plants, beasts and humans within the context of early modern discourses: natural philosophy, medical, political and religious. Collins offers a far-reaching exploration of how Metempsychosis articulates philosophical inquiries that are central to early modern notions of self-identity and moral accountability, such as: the human capacity for autonomy; the place of the human in the'great chain of being'; the relationship between cognition and embodiment, memory and selfhood; and the concept of wonder as a distinctly human phenomenon. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, critics have predominantly offered a negative estimate of John Donne’s Metempsychosis. In contrast, this study of Metempsychosis re-evaluates the poem as one of the most vital and energetic of Donne’s canon. Siobhán Collins appraises Metempsychosis for its extraordinary openness to and its inventive portrayal of conflict within identity. She situates this ludic verse as a text alert to and imbued with the Elizabethan fascination with the processes and properties of metamorphosis. Contesting the pervasive view that the poem is incomplete, this study illustrates how Metempsychosis is thematically linked with Donne’s other writings through its concern with the relationship between body and soul, and with temporality and transformation. Collins uses this genre-defying verse as a springboard to contribute significantly to our understanding of early modern concerns over the nature and borders of human identity, and the notion of selfhood as mutable and in process. Drawing on and contributing to recent scholarly work on the history of the body and on sexuality in the early modern period, Collins argues that Metempsychosis reveals the oft-violent processes of change involved in the author’s personal life and in the intellectual, religious and political environment of his time. She places the poem’s somatic representations of plants, beasts and humans within the context of early modern discourses: natural philosophy, medical, political and religious. Collins offers a far-reaching exploration of how Metempsychosis articulates philosophical inquiries that are central to early modern notions of self-identity and moral accountability, such as: the human capacity for autonomy- the place of the human in the ‘great chain of being’- the relationship between cognition and embodiment, memory and selfhood- and the concept of wonder as a distinctly human phenomenon Cover 1 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 9 A Note on Spelling and Citation 10 Introduction: Riddles 12 1 Body / Word: Textual Materiality 26 2 Thresholds: “Porches and Entries” 40 3 Separation: Genesis and the Fall 54 4 Memory: Reading the Self 70 5 Liminality: Plant / Human 92 6 Devoured Bodies: Birds and Fishes 108 7 Courting Politics: Vivarium of Beasts 124 Conclusion: Wonder 148 Appendix 1: Author and Text: Manuscript and Print Editions of Metempsychosis 154 Appendix 2: Critical Reception: Metempsychosis 164 Bibliography 178 Index 200 Siobhan Collins re-evaluates Metempsychosis as a high point of Donne's poetic canon, situating the poem's somatic representations of various species within the context of early modern intellectual discourses and notions of human identity. Contesting Metempsychosis' previous status as an anomaly within Donne's oeuvre.