The Cambridge Companion to John Donne - the first comprehensive guide to his works to be published - introduces students (undergraduate and graduate) to the range, brilliance and complexity of John Donne. Sixteen new essays, written by an international array of leading scholars and critics, cover Donne's poetry (erotic, satirical, devotional) and his prose (including his sermons and occasional letters). Providing readings of his texts and also fully situating them in the historical and cultural context of early modern England, these essays offer the most up-to-date scholarship and introduce students to the current thinking and debates about Donne, while providing tools for students to read his work with greater understanding and enjoyment. Special features include a chronology; a short biography; chapters on political and religious contexts; a chapter on the experience of reading his lyrics; a meditation on Donne by the contemporary novelist A.S. Byatt; and an extensive bibliography of editions and criticism.