Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
The real John Donne was just as love-struck as the speaker of this poem. Donne married his wife Anne More secretly and against the wishes of her father, and he was thrown into jail for it. (Source)
Donne participated in the expeditions of Sir Walter Raleigh, the famous explorer who helped colonize Virginia. (Source)
The famous British historian Simon Schama recently produced a documentary on John Donne. We just wanted an excuse to quote the following excerpt from a review: "Schama was totally crushing on Donne. He would, it was clear within minutes, have done Donne." (Source)