One of the things I've been slowly working through is the Norton Anthology of English Literature. I made it to John Donne's poetry before slowing down, which is not bad, but then I took a two-year hiatus. I am now returning.
One of the most interesting aspects of reading a survey of English literature in chronological order is that you can see the development of the language. A lot of the material included in Norton is in verse, and you can see the shifts in pronunciation over time. A long time ago, everything that ended in -ies rhymed. Not so nowadays - as one example, compare the pronunciation of "lies" and "duties".
On the poetry of John Donne specifically - he is an amazingly gifted poet. He is also a very dirty one. The amount of punning or double meanings in his poetry is obscene, as is the punning itself often. I learned something new today - in the year 1600, "to die" was also slang for having an orgasm. "To Have" contained the same slang connotation as it does today. There are also many double-meanings including such language as 'pregnant' or 'barren'. At some point I will go ahead and augment this post with actual samples. In the meantime, go read, "To His Mistress" and "The Flea".
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