Introduction to George Herbert (1593 – 1633)

Texts on the English Renaissance Course Thomas Nashe – The Unfortunate Traveller Francis Bacon – The Major Works William Shakespeare – Sonnets William Shakespeare – Hamlet George Herbert – The Complete English Poems John Donne – The Complete English Poems Christopher Marlowe – The Jew of Malta Cyril Tourneur – The Revenger’s Tragedy Ben Johnson – The Alchemist

The Comparison QuestionThe comparison question aims to test your ability to identify, compare and critically assess key features of each text. Questions may be about:

Concerns / themes / motifs Style eg imagery, symbolism Structure Reader response – engaging emotion, sympathy

etc Characterization The period

Sample Comparison Questions (1)

Compare how any two Renaissance texts you have studied reflect the times in which their writers lived.

Compare the ways in which any two texts you have studied can be considered “Renaissance”.

Compare the presentation of relationships in any two texts you have read from the Renaissance period.

Compare the ways in which major themes are presented by any two modern writers you have studied.

Compare the impact of science or scientific thought on any two Renaissance texts.

Sample Comparison Questions (2) Compare the ways in which two texts that you have studied

treat conflict.

Compare and contrast the ways in which the writers of two texts you have studied engage the emotions of a reader or a member of an audience through their works.

Compare the ways in which any two writers in this period present aspects of human suffering.

Compare or contrast the ways in which any two writers in this period make use of imagery in their work.

Herbert Background (1) George Herbert was born in Montgomery, Wales, on April 3, 1593,

the fifth son of Richard and Magdalen Newport Herbert. After his father's death in 1596, he and his siblings were raised by their mother, patron to John Donne (1572 – 1631) who dedicated his Holy Sonnets to her.

Herbert was born into a powerful and respected wealthy, aristocratic family and had a distinguished career at university.

He was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge and was elected Public Orator to the University, a post which permitted powerful contacts and often led to high public office.

While Herbert initially entered public office and served as member of Parliament for Montgomery, he later decided to give up his secular ambitions and turned to a life of ministry. He took holy orders in the Church of England in 1630 and spent the rest of his life as rector in Bemerton near Salisbury

Bemerton Rectory

Old St Paul’s Cathedral

Painting of Old St Paul’s

Aerial View of St Paul’s Cathedral in London

Herbert Background (2) In 1629, Herbert married Jane Danvers, cousin of his

stepfather and took holy orders in the Church of England in 1630 after which he served as rector of Bemerton Rectory.

Herbert cared deeply for his parishioners and at Bemerton, he preached and wrote poetry, helped rebuild the church with his own funds and came to be known as "Holy Mr. Herbert" around the countryside in the three years before he died of consumption on March 1, 1633.

Herbert’s first two sonnets, sent to his mother in 1610, maintained that the love of God is a worthier subject for verse than the love of woman. He was a role model known for his dedication to the church as a priest and avoided using poetry for secular means. He devoted much of his poetry to God, and, in essence, became reputable for paying homage to his Creator.

Herbert’s Poetry (1) Herbert’s most famous work is his collection, The Temple

which focuses on various parts of the church building. On his deathbed, he sent the manuscript of The Temple to his friend, Nicholas Ferrar, asking him to publish the poems only if he thought they might do good to "any dejected poor soul.“

The collection was published in 1633 and met with great

popular acclaim - it had 13 printings by 1680.

According to Robyn V. Young, author of, George Herbert:, "most scholars of Herbert's poetry have accepted the division of The Temple into three major sections: "The Church, "The Church Porch, and "The Church Militant" (98).

Herbert’s Poetry (2) The structure of "The Temple" is divided into three parts, as

though the reader is going to be led step-by-step through a physical temple. "The Church-porch," offers a a great deal of advice on moral matters to prepare someone who is otherwise not yet ready for more serious devotions. After this initiation, the reader is ready to enter the section called "The Church,"a collection of poems that describes various places or objects in the church. This dramatizes the spiritual conflicts of a believer trying to secure his faith. Finally, the "The Church Militant" turns from the life of the individual believer to the corporate body of the church which, like each individual, must endure a series of successes and failure throughout its history.

Herbert’s Poetry (3)Herbert intended the poems in The Temple as expressions of his love for God as well as his neighbour. In Herbert’s characteristic imagery, they are both fruits and flowers of the Christian life, wreaths of worship for God’s altar and the harvest of fruits of edification for others. As acts of worship, they were to symbolize in their elaborate forms the beauty of the divine creation. As acts of edification…they were to inflame [others] with the desire to follow the beauty of holiness. The poems thus fulfilled for their readers the traditional classical aims of pleasure and profit. For nothing could be more pleasant than to contemplate the order of God’s providence in the universe, the church or personal life; and nothing could be more profitable, since such contemplation should increase the reader’s faith and cause him to order his own life after the divine pattern. (Summers, 169)

Herbert’s Poetry (4) ‘Dedication’ to God printed in The Temple:

Lord, my first fruits present themselves to thee;Yet not mine neither: for from thee they came,And must return. Accept of them and me,And make us strive, who shall sing best thy name.

Turn their eyes hither, who shall make a gain;Theirs, who shall hurt themselves or me refrain.

Printers’ Note to the Reader:

Quitting both his deserts and all the opportunities that he had for worldly preferment, he betook himself to the Sanctuary and Temple of God, choosing rather to serve at God’s Altar, than to seek the honour of State employments.

His obedience and conformity to the Church and the discipline thereof was singularly remarkable. Though he abounded in private devotions, yet went he every morning and evening with his family to the church; and by his example, exhortations and encouragements drew the greater part of his parishoners to accompany him daily in the public celebration of Divine Service.

Herbert’s Poetry (5)

On the whole, Herbert’s poems explore and celebrate the ways of God's love as Herbert discovered them within the fluctuations of his own experience

He wrote exclusively religious poetry and many of his poems come very close to forms of worship. The "essential" elements of Herbert's prayer-like poems are contrition, confession, thanksgiving, adoration, and petitioning.

There is a wide range of feelings in his poetry from the celebratory to the agitated but Herbert is mainly known for his quietness of tone which is a contrast to Donne’s drama.

Like Donne, Herbert uses poetry as a way of working out conflict but each

poem is not simply an expression of conflict but is always directed towards resolution.

Herbert’s God is an image of patriarchal power as well as a figure of

maternal nourishment. To him, God is at once threatening and consoling, both powerful and loving and his poems often emphasise man’s weakness in contrast to God’s power.

Herbert’s Poetry (6) Herbert’s devotional meditation includes seeing the invisible in the

visible – his poetry puts forth the idea that the love of God can be found in mundane objects and numerous material subjects are used as instruments of spiritual love.

In Herbert’s poetry, the ordinary is charged with meaning and there is a conscious attempt to find God in the world around us.

Herbert thus aims to bring God closer to us but also maintains the authority of God and sees man as subservient. His poems deal with the private relationship between the individual soul and God.

The poems in The Temple represent a picture of the many spiritual conflicts that have past between God and Herbert’s soul and indeed most of his lyrics reflect the complex and subtle processes, changes of attitude, struggles, and surrenders of the inner spiritual life.

Herbert vs Donne: Metaphysical Features The works of both poets display typical metaphysical

characteristics such as the sense of drama and the abrupt personal openings which convey a sense of intensity and directness.

‘Although Herbert consistently views his God as a great king, utterly incommensurable with his creatures, paradoxically he also writes as if God was his familiar friend, sitting somewhere near the poet’s elbow.’

The use of colloquial language and the direct address of the mistress or God is evident in many of Donne’s as well as Herbert’s openings:“Busy old foole unruly sunne” and “For God's sake hold your tongue ...” and “I struck the board, and cry'd, No more”, “Throw away thy rod”

Likewise, the poems also have an argument, more striking and interesting in some more than others.

Herbert vs Donne: Poetic Features Imagery:

In terms of imagery, Donne is eclectic (wide-ranging) and apparently obscure. He did not write for publication, but showed poems to friends whom he supposed to be well-read enough to understand these references. Donne's imagery draws on the new learning of the English renaissance and on topical discoveries and exploration. We find references to alchemy, sea-voyages, mythology and religion (among many other things).

Herbert's imagery, by way of contrast, draws on the everyday and familiar. Many of these images are also associated with the bible, while others may have acquired religious connotations. At the same time, Herbert’s poetry also serves as a reflection of his times and there are examples of conceits and scientific imagery eg The Pulley, The Windows (the annealing process)

Herbert vs Donne: Poetic Features Stanzas and Poetic Form:

Donne uses varied stanza patterns with the structure of the poem often carrying the argument eg The three stanza structure of The Good Morrow which moves from past to present to the future and eternity.

Herbert also uses varied stanza patterns but is often more aware of the appearance of the poem on the page, as well as the effect on the ear. Poems such as The Altar and Easter Wings, for example, are written almost wholly for the sake of appearance. ‘In Discipline the cramped, lean lines reflect the severity which the poet begs God to refrain from using. In The Collar, there is an apparent randomness, a lack of order on the page, which mirrors the disordered outburst of the poet. The jerky quality which derives from rhetorical questions - frequent use of full-stop, colon and question-mark even in mid-line - gives way only in the final four lines to a fluent conclusion which comes with the poet's account of his submission to the divine pull on the collar.’

The AltarA broken ALTAR, Lord thy servant rears,Made of a heart, and cemented with teares:

Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;No workmans tool hath touch'd the same

A HEART aloneIs such a stone,As nothing but

Thy pow'r doth cut.Wherefore each part

Of my hard heartMeets in this frame,To praise thy Name:

That if I chance to hold my peace,These stones to praise thee may not cease.

O let thy blessed SACRIFICE be mine,And sanctifie this ALTAR to be thine.

Easter - WingsLORD, who createdst man in wealth and store,     Though foolishly he lost the same,         Decaying more and more,             Till  he  became                 Most poor :

                With  thee             O  let  me  rise         As larks, harmoniously,     And sing this day thy victories : Then  shall  the  fall  further  the  flight  in  me.

My  tender  age  in  sorrow  did  beginne :     And still with sicknesses and shame         Thou didst so punish sinne,             That  I  became                 Most thinne.

                With  thee             Let me combine,         And feel this day thy victorie,     For,  if  I  imp  my  wing  on  thine, Affliction  shall  advance  the  flight  in  me.

Original Print Version of Easter Wings in 1633 Manuscript

Herbert vs Donne: Themes Apart from stylistic comparisons, Donne and Herbert also share similar

themes.

Both poets deal with their own relationship with God but with differing emotions. Herbert’s poetry is sometimes troubled (but never tortured as Donne's seems to have been), often joyful; not thinking of himself or his own importance overmuch, yet never doubting God's majesty, justice and power.

The obvious thematic comparison is thus the religious one but this is a very large area which can be broken down into several other areas such as:

- Relationships (man’s relationship with God in both Donne and Herbert and also relationship between men and women in Donne – sacred and profane love)

- Conflict / human suffering / pain (stemming from rejection, betrayal, salvation anxiety etc)

Herbert vs Donne: Themes- Resolution (resolution both within and across poems,

possibly also resolution in the love poetry – Donne’s movement towards a combination of the spiritual and physical).

- Love (sexual vs spiritual love in Donne, man’s love for God and God’s love for man in both Donne and Herbert)

- Death (as something to be feared or conquered or looked forward to as a transition from one state to another)

- Faith (religious faith vs faith in women eg Donne’s inconstant women)