A Jungian Analysis of Sacraments in John Donne’s 'Holy Sonnets'

Year 2023, Volume: 40 Issue: 2, 647 - 658, 27.12.2023

Melih Kurtuluş

https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.1243721

Abstract

This article aims to analyse three poems in John Donne’s religious sonnet collection titled Holy Sonnets within the context of the Jungian concept of the individuation process. In this respect, the article presents two related arguments. First, it is contended that the poetic personae of the selected poems, namely “Thou hast made me,” “Oh my blacke Soule!,” and “Batter my heart,” suffer from neurosis because of their reluctance and inability to perform the two tasks of the individuation process. The process put forward by Carl Gustav Jung requires an individual to both separate herself/himself from societal demands and integrate the unconscious part of her/his psyche with the conscious one. In the case of the selected poems’ speakers, their unconscious sides are constituted by their carnal desires which they wish to suppress to the point of extinction. Feeling inadequate to suppress their bodily passions, they ask their Creator to intervene in the process. However, neither God responds to their prayers, nor their undesirable selves disappear from their conscious minds. Thus, the poetic speakers oscillate painfully between their carnal and spiritual selves, indicating that they suffer from neurosis. God’s silence in this process stems from the speaker’s rejection to utilize sacraments as mediatory objects. In this respect, it is argued that the speakers are influenced by Protestant iconophobia. Therefore, the second argument suggests that the selected poems showcase that rejecting sacraments’ mediatory function halts one’s attempt to bridge the gap between the conscious and the unconscious parts of the psyche which is the main aim of the individuation process.

Keywords

John Donne, Holy Sonnets, Carl Gustav Jung, individuation, sacraments, neurosis

John Donne’ın 'Kutsal Sonelerinde' Dini Sembollerin Jungiyen Analizi

Abstract

Bu makale, John Donne’ın Kutsal Soneler başlıklı dini sone koleksiyonundan seçilen üç şiiri Jung’un bireyleşme süreci konsepti bağlamında analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda, makale birbiriyle bağlantılı iki argüman sunmaktadır. İlk olarak, seçilen şiirlerin şiir kişilerinin, bireyleşme sürecinin iki görevini yerine getirme yetersizliği ve isteksizliğinden dolayı nevrozdan muzdarip oldukları öne sürülmektedir. Carl Gustav Jung tarafından öne sürülen bireyleşme süreci bireyin hem sosyal beklentilerden kendini ayırmasını hem de psişesinin bilinçdışı kısmını bilinç kısmı ile bütünleştirmesini gerektirir. Seçili şiir kişilerinin durumunda, bilinçdışı tarafları, yok olma noktasına kadar bastırmak istedikleri bedensel arzularından oluşmaktadır. Bedensel arzularını bastırma konusunda yetersiz hisseden şiir kişileri yaratıcılarından sürece müdahale etmesini isterler. Fakat ne Tanrı dualarına cevap verir ne de istenmeyen kişilikleri bilinçlerinden kaybolur. Böylece, şiir kişileri sancılı bir biçimde bedensel zevkleri ve spiritüel kişilikleri arasında gidip gelir ve bu da onların nevrozdan müzdarip olduğunu gösterir. Bu süreçte Tanrı’nın sessizliği şiir kişilerinin dini semboller ve konseptlerden Tanrı ve kendileri arasında aracı nesneler olarak faydalanmayı reddetmelerinden kaynaklanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, şiir kişilerinin Protestanların dini sembollere karşı tutumlarından etkilendiği ileri sürülmektedir. Bu nedenle, ikinci argüman, seçilen şiirlerin dini sembollerin Tanrı ve birey arasında aracı işlevini reddetmenin, kişinin bireyleşme sürecinin ana amacı olan psişenin bilinç ve bilinçdışı bölümleri arasında bağlantı kurma girişimine engel olduğunu göstermektedir.

Keywords

John Donne, Kutsal Soneler, Carl Gustav Jung, bireyleşme, dini semboller, nevroz

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