I think we should pay attention to the ways we’re seeing the English languagte change as we move closer to 1800. With these four poets, we see as modern readers a much more modern writing style, notably more similar to contemporary poetry. Discuss how you think these poets are moving the English language and English literature forward. For instance, Wroth and Phillips are women and were fairly popular during their time, so we can see how gender roles are evolving. Each of these four poets are very unique; how do they uniquely contribute to the poetry of their time and, hence, future poetry?

John Donne wrote in dedication to God later in his life, but most of the poems we have read relate to romantic or erotic love. Herbert, however, writes exclusively of his devotion to God. Donne often describes his romantic love as a “religious experience,” as his introduction tells us, so compare Donne’s religious romanticism with Herbert’s literal religious experiences. Do they ever sound similar? Can any parallels be made?

“Chaucer draws on two well-established ‘fabiau’ plots” for his retelling of ‘The Miller’s Tale’. Some stereotypical characters are also apparent in the story, such as the didactic Reverend, drunk Miller, treacherous young wife, and Lothario scholar. Why might have Chaucer incorporated so many culturally-recognized elements in his story, and what techniques does he employ to make his version unique?