John Donne in the Time of COVID

In 1623 John Donne, dean of Saint Paul's Cathedral in London, suddenly fell ill of a pestilential illness. He took notes during this near fatal illness and published them as Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions in 1624. It is in the context of devotional literature that this book has formerly been studied. If, however, the work is read with specific attention focused on the dynamics of Donne's psychological responses to a serious illness, it may be seen to be the powerful dramatic presentation of h