A Level AHEAD
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A Level AHEAD
A Level AHEAD
by Andy Hurley
Master Donne's Poetry:
Achieve Excellence with A Level AHEAD
This comprehensive study guide unlocks the rich complexity of John Donne's metaphysical poetry for A Level and undergraduate students.
Equipping you with everything needed to achieve top grade.
๐ In depth analysis of 26 poems with detailed breakdowns of structure, language, imagery and themes.
๐ Comparative frameworks showing connections between poems for sophisticated exam responses.
๐ Critical interpretations from leading scholars, helping you develop nuanced perspectives.
๐ Historical context that illuminates Donne's religious, scientific and social influences.
๐ Exam-focused guidance tailored to all major exam boards, with likely questions and successful approaches.
๐ Creative response ideas to deepen your engagement beyond assessment requirements.
Whether tackling Donne's love poetry, Holy Sonnets, or elegies, this guide transforms challenging metaphysical conceits into accessible insights while maintain the intellectual rigour examiners reward.
Perfect for independent study or classroom use, it provides the critical tools to confidently navigate Donne's paradoxes, conceits, and profound explorations of love , faith and mortality.
Poems covered include:
A Hymn to God the Father A Nocturnal Upon St Lucy's Day, Being the Shortest Day A Valediction Forbidding Mourning
A Valediction of Weeping Air and Angels Elegy: His Picture Elegy: To His Mistress Going to Bed
Holy Sonnet I: Thou hast made me Holy Sonnet IV: O my black soul! Holy Sonnet V - 'I am a little world made cunningly'
Holy Sonnet VI: โThis is my play's last sceneโ Holy Sonnet VII: โAt the round earth's imagined cornersโ
Holy Sonnet X: โDeath be not proudโ Holy Sonnet XI: Spit in my face Holy Sonnet XIV: Batter my heart
Holy Sonnet XVII: Since she whom I loved Song: Go and catch a falling star Song: Sweetest love The Anniversary
The Apparition The Canonization The Ecstasy The Flea The Good Morrow The Sun Rising Twicknam Garden
190+ pages of analysis and insight, with poem by poem analysis, each with a summary, analysis, themes, contextual influences and critical influences. In addition, there are extensive overview sections to establish patterns across the poems. These include Key Themes, Critics and Contexts, Tackling Examination Questions, Getting Creative and a Glossary of Key Terms.
The book explores 12 themes across the poems, including Spiritual versus Physical Love, Death and Mortality, Paradox and Contradiction, Gender and Power and Time and Eternity. It has example paragraphs for the holistic sections. It is a book designed to meet all your study needs.
“This book has been crafted to ensure that those tricky assessment objectives that students, and sometimes teachers, find difficult to navigate. Using my considerable experience in leading teaching and examining A Level English literature, I have woven into each poem's analysis the contextual and critical influences, whilst maintaining the key focus on what the poem says, and how the poet says it.”
Andy Hurley
Andy Hurley: Educator, Retired Literature Teacher and Examiner, Emerging Poet and Writer
With over 30 years experience in education, as a teacher, Head of English, Headteacher, HMI and Education Advisor, I have a wide range of interests. Having retired from the chalkface (and whatever digital metaphor may now pass), I am dedicating myself to supporting, school, teachers and students with my poetry and consultancy website www.andyhurleyahead.com In addition, I cannot move away from the printed page. I will be ensuring that exclusive content is available by publishing books, too. These begin with a Study Guide, but will soon expand to cover teaching guides, poetry and other literary forms.