The Representation Of “Soul” Symbol In Donne’s Poetry

John Donne(1572-1631) is the leader of the English metaphysical poets, whose works include love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons, among of which he won his name in the history of English literature. Compared with that of his contemporaries, Donne?s poetry is noted for the application of the different symbols that contain the unique feature. Both domestic research and the overseas study on Donne?s poetic symbol are confined to the circle, death, figure, flea and the sphere while less works pay attention to the study of soul symbol.As the core theory of Gestalt psychological aesthetics, heterogeneous isomorphism is first put forward by Rudolf Arnheim(1904-1994). In his opinions, heterogeneous isomorphism is mainly used to analyze the “force” and “field” during the aesthetics activity. By stimulating the “patterns of force” in the physical field, it would cause the physiological reaction, which would break the original balance of the mental field. Then a new psychological effect will be generated. Based on the understanding of the research method of heterogeneous isomorphism, it could get that the recognition of aesthetic experience would be aroused, when the different “patterns of force” could achieve coherence on the structure. In Donne?s works, the symbol of soul includes the following three dimensions that psyche, apparition and the Holy Spirit. These three different dimensions would be aroused the emotional resonance with the poet?s love from the different physical field to the different physiological field. Their emotional responses reflect the poet?s long quest for the loyal love.Based on the theory of heterogeneous isomorphism, this thesis attempts to analyze the representational form of the soul symbol through 20 poems contained in Donne?s Song and Sonnets and Divine Medications. By analyzing the three dimensions “the psyche in love from the combination of body and spirit”, “the apparition for suspecting female love” and “the Holy Spirit with sublimating love” in this paper, it could be found that John Donne pursues loyal affection with perseverance. Chapter One expounds the psyche in the fusion of love of body and spirit in affirmative. Firstly, the tension between love of body and spirit is presented. Donne is looking forward to the pure spiritual love, and also is under the power of sexual love. He waves uncertainly between these two conditions. And then, by explaining the specific texts, it is easy to refine his attitude toward love that the fusion of the physical love and the spiritual love. The spiritual love could not survive without the body. The body love would be everlasting only to rise to the spiritual level. Therefore, the love contained the love of body and spirit is the perfect interpretation of his loyal love. Chapter Two explores Donne?s love with apparition. He realizes that the women around him are all hypocritical and capricious, just like the mummy. He regards the love lack of soul as the apparition in order to map his desire for the loyal love in negative. The apparition is a kind of dimension of soul symbol, which contains the negative emotion. The apparition returns to his lover in revenge, by which he shows his anger at the female unfaithfulness. Herein the more he condemns women?s betrayal, the more he is eager for the loyal love. Chapter Three explores the soul at the religious level. Donne uses the Holy Spirit to express his desire for the baptism of the Christ. He hopes his soul would be saved in order to go to heaven after the death. Firstly, this chapter explains Donne?s confusion about his faith. And then it explores that he suffers from psychological torment for his apostasy, and scares for his soul being judged after death. Consequently, he gets close to God positively, and puts all his attention to the religious career and dedicates all his love to God to serve Him.The innovation of this thesis is that it mainly studies the soul symbol in Donne?s love and divine poetry in the theoretical perspective of heterogeneous isomorphism to offer some new perspectives in deeper understanding of John Donne?s poetry.