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Autumn 1949 • Vol. XI No. 4 • Nonfiction |

Donne and the Rhetorical Tradition

By William Empson

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William Empson (1906-1984) is best known for his first work, Seven Types of Ambiguity: A Study of Its Effects on English Verse (1930). He was an English poet and supported the school of literary criticism known as New Criticism through his many works and his critical process. Empson encouraged a close and detailed reading of works and was well known for his ability to explain meaning in poetic language.

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