In what sense Crashaw’s idea of God is different from those of Donne and Herbert ? [British Poetry (2018-19) Assignment 1]

Crashaw's idea of God is different from those of Donne and Herbert in several ways, as evidenced by their poetry. Sarah Burk argues that one key difference is that Crashaw's poetry often represents the feminine side of the gender binary, while Donne and Herbert's poems are often more masculine. This may be because Crashaw's work is influenced by the Catholic sanctification of the Virgin Mary, which is unique from the Protestant tradition of Donne and Herbert.

Enotes notes that Crashaw's religious poetry is also distinct from Donne and Herbert's work because it is sensuous and ecstatic, rather than intellectual and personal. Meanwhile, the Poetry Foundation notes that Crashaw is associated with the metaphysical poets of the 17th century, of which Donne and Herbert were also members.

According to Essaysforstudent.com, Herbert and Crashaw both decided to devote their poetic works to God, but Crashaw had more difficulty adjusting from his secular life to his religious one than Herbert did. This may have been due to his conversion to Catholicism and his desire to represent the Catholic counter-Reformation in his poetry.

Overall, while all three poets shared an interest in exploring religious themes in their poetry, Crashaw's focus on feminine figures, ecstatic experiences, and Catholicism set his work apart from the more masculine, intellectual, and Protestant poetry of Donne and Herbert.