George Herbert and the Seventeenth-Century Religious Poets

Abstract

George Herbert and the Seventeenth-Century Religious Poets ed. Mario A. DJ Cesare (New York: W.W. Norton, 1978. 401 pp. $5.95 pb) by Roberts W. French Superior texts for courses in seventeenth-century English literature have been hard to find. The standard anthologies have generally printed too many minor writers, with consequent neglect of those major figures who would actually be taught. One is not likely, for exam pie, to get around to teaching Wotton, Sandys, Corbett, and Townshend, admirable though these people may be, but one would like to have both of Donne's Anniversaries and all the Holy Sonnets, all of Jonson's "Celebration of Charis" and all the poems in 77»· Foreet. Herbert's "The Sacrifice," Herrick's "Farewell to Sack" and also the "Welcome," Marvell's "Upon Appleton House," and so forth. Often, however, major works such as these are either omitted or given in excerpts so as to make room for items of far less significance. Professor Di Cesares edition of Geory* Herbert end the Seventeenth-Century Religious Poets thus comes as a welcome offering, for it iseminently sensibleand wellsuitedto the teaching purposes for which it is intended. Together with its companion volume, Hugh Maclean's Ben Jonson end tho Ceveller Poets, and an acceptable edition of Donne, this book will fill a need in the classroom; seventeenth-century poetry will be well served. The prose of the period will remain a problem, however, as the desired text — one that prints major works complete — is lacking. Professor Di Cesare has wisely limited himself to making selections from the five religious poets of the century that are most likely to be taught, with the necessary exclusions of Donne and Milton; in the volume are poems by Herbert, Crashaw, Marvell, Vaughan, and Traherne. (A sampling of 64 BOOK REVIEW: THE NORTON HERBERT Hernck's religious verse is available in Maclea? sBen Jonson ) Again wisely, the editor has not limited himself to specifically religious works; his choices include "Music's Duel," "To His Coy Mistress." "An Horatian Ode," the Mower poems, and "Upon Appleton House" (complete) Vaughan'ssecular poems are not here, but seven of them may be found in Maclean's volume Each poet is given a brief biographical introduction of about half a page, followed by generous selections from the work: eighty-two poems by Herbert, sixteen by Crashaw, eighteen by Marvell, forty-one by Vaughan, and twelve by Traherne. Though the poems follow hard uponeach other with little space between, the pages have ample margins, and the printing is of reasonable size and clarity. All in all, the book appears light and spacious, attractive and inviting, with none of the intimidating force of those bulky double-columned tomes that for some reason continue to be produced. It should be widely adopted. The selections from Herbert's poetry will be of particular interest to readers of this journal. The first business, of course, is to establish the text Like many editions designed for classroom use, this book uses modernized spelling; but unlike many such editions, it also includes textual notes detailing important variations and editorial choices. The editor has consulted the 1633 Temple, the Bodleian and Williams manuscripts , and several modern editions in order to arrive at a text; in the end, he notes, the differences between his versions and those of F. E. Hutchinson "are not great." While he finds the 1633 text to be of "somewhat higher authority" than the Bodleian manuscript, he adds that "none of the evidence adduced thus far demonstrates conclusively its utter and definitive authority" (p. 204). Perhaps that is as reasonable a statement as can be made at present. Following Frank Huntley's conclusions ? ? an ELN article of 1 970, the editor has changed the order and titles of two poems. The poem called "Church-lock and key" in the 1633 Templo and the Bodleian manuscript has been retitled "Prayer"(ll)and placed just after "Prayer"(l); and the concluding four lines of "The H. Communion" as they are found in the earlier versions have been detached and given the title "Church Lock-and65 Roberts W. French Key." This is not the place to go over the...

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