I am starting a paper on Essays in Divinity and I thought this would be just the right place for my request: I am looking for any critical work (article, book chapter, bibliography, reference, etc., apart from E. M. Simpson's edition, which I already know) on these Essays. Would any of you be so kind as to let me know of any reference or title that might be relevant, useful, ... Thanking you in advance. Pascal Caillet France
This past April, Sharon M. Hekman presented a paper, "Lullism and the Structure of Donne's Essayes in Divinity," for the Renaissance Society of America. This is a new approach that you may want to develop. Jeffrey Johnson, President of The John Donne Society, might know how to contact Hekman. Good luck with this project. Roberta Albrecht
Jeff Johnson has also written an essay on The Essays for the forthcoming Oxford Handbook to John Donne. I would contact him directly--he's very nice--to see if he has any ideas about a good starting point.
His email is tb0jsj1@wpo.cso.niu.edu Good luck, gk
Are you aware of Anthony Raspa's 2001 edition of the Essayes? It's excellent and the introduction will be helpful.
I'd also take a look at Michael Hall's "Searching and Not Finding: The Experience of Donne's Essays in Divinity." Genre 14 (1981): 423-40.
I think Roberta Albrecht's book The Virgin Mary as Alchemical and Lullian Reference in Donne inspired some of Sharon Hekman's work, although you may want to get in touch with Sharon herself as her paper takes a different tack. I think she'd be happy to help you. She's at Columbia College Chicago now.
I will be presenting a paper on the Essayes and the early modern self at the 2009 JDS conference.
Best, Elizabeth Bowman Northern Illinois University