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Jan 21, 1572
John Donne is born
"Founder" of the metaphysical poets; he is born into a time period in which Catholics are the persecuted minority - as a Roman Catholic himself, this gives him a very tumultuous relationship with religion, inspiring many of his poems -
Aug 23, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Massacre in France
Theological & political unrest are prolific in England & France during this time period, inspiring the work of John Donne in particular. -
Period: Nov 1, 1572 to
Metaphysical Poetry
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Telesio publishes books advocating science over metaphysics
Italian philospher Berdnardino Telesio publishes 9 books challenging Aristotle, rejecting metaphysics in favor of concrete scientific knowledge based on observation & experimentation. -
Modern microscope is born
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George Herbert born
Son of a literary patron, who supported John Donne
Poems are characterized by a deep religious devotion -
Galileo exhibits the first telescope
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Andrew Marvell is born
Living during the Restoration inspired many of Marvell's poems, which were often satirical poems about the court and Parliament (he was a well-known politician) -
John Donne dies
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Galileo publishes his scientific observations
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George Herbert dies
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Europe is exhausted by the Thirty Years' War
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Philosopher Rene Descartes advocates integration of philosophy & science
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Restoration of the English monarchy
Andrew Marvell was a well-known politician during this time period; used his political status to free a fellow poet from jail -
Andrew Marvell dies
His work was not published until after his death, for fear of punishment.
