Dear list members,

I have published a new article on Donne's "To Sir Edward Herbert, at Julyers" as part of a volumen on the relations between writing and the visual published by Rodopi (see link below). In this article I interpret and discuss the verse letter as a mock laudatory poem on Lord Herbert as Donne models his iconic text on the concatenation of Arcimboldo's fantastical, composite paintings and Lord Herbert's portrait (now at the National Gallery, London). Due to space restrictions, my close, detailed analysis of the text focuses on the first 10 and the final 5 lines of the verse letter, while it provides a general account of the relationship between the rest of the text and Arcimboldo's paintings or "Arcimboldesque" illustrations. I interpret the final 5 lines as a humorous, even satirical comment on Lord Herbert's learning involving textual puns and the reference to the Frankfurt bookfair, Arcimboldo's The Librarian, and Lord Herbert's portrait. This interpretation shows Donne's wit was powerfully visual, contributes to the bibliography on Donne and the arts, and reveals the tone and intention of the poem to be far from the one traditionally accorded.  

I welcome suggestions of academic publications (the John Donne Journal?) where my complete, lengthy analysis could appear, if possible, in conjunction with all the reproductions of Arcimboldo's paintings and attributed pieces I refer to, as well as Lord Herbert's portrait.   

Information about the volume and its contents, including my article, is available here:

  http://www.rodopi.nl/functions/search.asp?BookId=IFAVL+95

For any comments, please write to: jcora@flog.uned.es

All the best.

J. Cora.