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ORIGIN OF THE NAME In '' Life Of Cowley '' Samuel Johnson refers to the beginning of the seventeenth century in which there "appeared a race of writers that may be termed the metaphysical poets". This does not necessarily imply that he intended metaphysical to be used in its true sense, in that he was probably referring to a witticism of John Dryden about John Donne . "He affects the metaphysics, not only in his satires, but in his amorous verses, where nature only should reign; and perplexes the minds of the fair sex with nice speculations of philosophy, when he should engage their hearts, and entertain them with the softnesses of love. In this . . . Mr. Cowley has copied him to a fault." Probably the only writer before Dryden to speak of a certain metaphysical school or group of metaphysical poets is Drummond Of Hawthornden (1585-1649), who in one of his letters speaks of "metaphysical Ideas and Scholastical Quiddities." ''Metaphysical Poets'' by Helen Gardner. Oxford University Press, London, 1957. pre-ISBN The first mention of "metaphysical poets" comes in Johnson's '' The Lives Of The Poets '' (1744). IMPORTANT METAPHYSICAL POETS
The following poets have also been sometimes considered metaphysical poets:
The group was to have a significant influence on 20th-century poetry, especially through T. S. Eliot , whose essay ''The Metaphysical Poets'' (1921) helped bring their poetry back into favor with audiences. NOTES AND REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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