In metacritical approach, it is important to critique a critic's work; to describe and evaluate the principles and methods of a critical approach; to question the theoretical foundations of criticism; or to study the history, purpose, or context of a critical text. This paper aims at scrutinizing John Donne’s “The Canonization”, “The Relic”, and “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” through metacritical approach by focusing on some of the criticism made to demonstrate him not as a poet but as a versifier, as well as an inferior poet who was not only condemned but also envied. Unlike the traditional poets of his time, Donne demanded intellectual agility and personal response. He also followed aesthetic theories that were too sophisticated for his time. The criticism upon Donne selected in this paper reveal that Donne has been ignored and disregarded as a poet even though he uses his wit and creates something new in his poetry.
John Donne, Metaphysical Poetry, Metacritical Approach