LYRIC DRAMA AND POETIC PERFORMANCE: A STUDY OF DONNE AND BROWNING ACROSS ERAS
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present a diachronic comparative analysis of poetic works by John Donne and Robert Browning. The focus of the discussion is drawn to the evolution of the dramatic-lyrical form between the Early Modern Metaphysical School and the Victorian period. Both poets abandoned the conventional abstract lyrical voices to adopt conversational modes of expression. A close reading of selected poems reveals that John Donne and Robert Browning differ dramatically in their approaches to constructing triadic relationships between the poetic speaker, internal auditor, and external reader. John Donne implemented an enquiring and combative mode of poetic address to enact a philosophical debate with the reader. In contrast, Robert Browning created the impression of a dramatic dialogue by inventing a persona which concealed his own voice and engaged the auditor in moral discussions. The paper demonstrates that such a shift from an open debate to a hermeneutic of silence reflected deep ideological rifts between the early modern and Victorian worldviews. Ultimately, the paper argues that the evolution of the dramatic-lyrical genre laid the conceptual groundwork for the rise of early twentieth-century Modernism.