For each model AI essay in this book, I’ve used the same poem: John Donne’s “The Canonization.” I chose this poem because I think it’s brilliant, and also tough. It’s a poem I am still wrestling with, so I wanted to see how generative artificial intelligence could help me to improve my understanding of and approach to the text.

Read through this poem first, then read the AI-generated essay. Finally, review my annotations on the essay, where I have highlighted terms to use, corrected the AI’s mistakes, and added some things that are missing, most notably, outside sources that explain more about the poem’s context. Reviewing these examples may give you some ideas about how you can use generative AI in your own approaches to texts. When generative artificial intelligence is used to augment thinking, it’s a useful tool. But if we try to use it to replace thinking, we’re not learning what we need to know.

Either ChatGPT is getting better at these essays, or I am getting better at prompting it! More likely, it’s some combination of both. Either way, this is interesting information about these tools and how they can assist in literary analysis. Here’s the prompt I used to generate the essay above:

You are a student in an introduction to literary analysis class. Write a short essay on John Donne’s “The Canonization” using a new historicism approach to the text. Emphasize both the biographical details of Donne’s life that are reflected in the poem and the cultural context (17th century England) for this poem. Make sure you include a thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph that makes an argument about the poem using new historicism as your critical method. Also include a title for your essay that reflects the contents of your paper. Here is the text of the poem (copied and pasted “The Canonization”).

Read through the same essay with my highlighted annotations below. I have bolded terms and phrases that you should use when you practice new historicism.

Annotations to “The Canonization of Love: John Donne’s Poetic Confluence of Biography and 17th Century England”

In John Donne’s poem “The Canonization,” a New Historicist approach unveils a rich interplay between the poet’s personal experiences and the cultural milieu of 17th century England. The poem, ostensibly a defense of love against societal norms, delves into the complexities of Donne’s life and the broader socio-political context, showcasing how love is not only a personal matter but also a reflection of the tumultuous times in which he lived. This is a decent thesis statement. The introduction of the essay is a bit sparse though. ChatGPT doesn’t really shine when it comes to providing sources yet; it’s still prone to hallucination. As we learned in the previous chapter, it’s really important to consider the context with New Historicism, and for this, we will need some research, both into the author’s personal biography and into the “cultural milieu” that the essay talks about. What does this mean? Providing a bit more background in the introduction about 17th century England would be a good approach to take. One important detail to include is the exact year the poem was published (1633) or if this is not known, the general timeframe or period.

Donne, a metaphysical poet, lived in a period marked by political upheavals, religious conflicts, and shifting cultural paradigms. The opening lines of the poem, “For God’s sake hold your tongue, and let me love,” set the tone for a rebellious assertion of personal autonomy in the face of external judgment. This resonates with Donne’s own life, as he faced opposition to his romantic entanglements, including a clandestine marriage that led to his dismissal from governmental positions. This paragraph provides a biographical sketch of the poet using the terminology (bolded) we would expect to see in a New Historicist approach. However, you should not take any historical “facts” from generative AI at face value. You’ll need to do some outside research to see if this biography is accurate. A quick check of Wikipedia confirms the broad outlines of what is written here, but the details are actually much more interesting and help us to better appreciate the cultural constructs Donne is railing against in this poem.  Here’s a quote from the section on Donne’s marriage to Anne Moore: “During the next four years, Donne fell in love with Egerton’s niece Anne More. They were secretly married just before Christmas in 1601, against the wishes of both Egerton and Anne’s father George More, who was Lieutenant of the Tower.^[12] Upon discovery, this wedding ruined Donne’s career, getting him dismissed and put in Fleet Prison, along with the Church of England priest Samuel Brooke, who married them,^[13] and his brother Christopher, who stood in, in the absence of George More, to give Anne away. Donne was released shortly thereafter when the marriage was proved to be valid, and he soon secured the release of the other two.”  It’s better to be more specific and concrete when considering how the author’s biography influences or provides context for the poem.

The second stanza, questioning the impact of the speaker’s love, echoes the uncertainties of Donne’s socio-political environment. The reference to “merchant’s ships” and “tears” suggests a world deeply affected by economic and emotional turmoil—a sentiment that mirrors the economic struggles and anxieties of the 17th century.  Again, we would want more specific detail and a source to strengthen this paragraph, using the poem as just one cultural artifact from the 17th century world. What are some historical examples? 

The third stanza introduces the idea of love as a unifying force that transcends societal judgments. The image of the couple as “tapers” dying at their own cost embodies the sacrifice and intensity of love, challenging conventional expectations. Donne’s exploration of the metaphorical phœnix further adds a layer of complexity, symbolizing renewal and transcendence amid challenges. This paragraph is interesting within a New Historicism approach because it almost feels more like New Criticism to me. If I were looking at symbols like the tapers or the phoenix in the poem, I would explain why these images would resonate with readers of this time period. Again, this would require some outside research. 

The concluding stanza shifts towards the future, contemplating the legacy of the lovers. The notion of being “canonized for Love” carries dual meanings—both a spiritual consecration and a literary recognition. This aligns with Donne’s own ambition for poetic immortality and societal acknowledgment despite the unconventional nature of his relationships. At this point, I would expect to see much more information about what a canonization is and why this image is particularly defiant in the context of this poem. I would want to learn more about Donne’s rejection of Catholicism and consider how the audience might have received his comparison of a forbidden marriage to the canonization process that makes people religious saints, especially in the context of Donne’s own religious beliefs and the contemporary religious milieu (this was during the big Catholic/Protestant upheaval that cannot be ignored as the context for this poem). 

In conclusion, “The Canonization” is not merely a personal expression of love but a reflection of the poet’s defiance against societal norms and the broader historical context of 17th century England. Donne, through his nuanced exploration of love, invites readers to consider the intersections of personal experience and cultural forces, demonstrating how literature serves as a site for negotiating individual identity within the larger historical narrative. I really like that last line. It sounds like something straight out of Foucault (which means I have to scratch my head and think about it). But this is indeed one of the functions of literature within a New Historicism approach (although some critics would argue somewhat deterministically that an author’s individual identity is impossible–that we are all products of our culture and inextricably shaped by it).