Centering on cross-fertilization between the writings of Shakespeare and Donne, the essays in this volume examine relationships that are broadly cultural, theoretical, and imaginative. They emphasize the intersection of physical dimensions of experience with transcendent ones, whether moral, intellectual, or religious. They juxtapose lyric and sermons interactively with narrative and plays.

The essays are grouped under four headings: Time, Love, Sex, and Death (Matthias Bauer and Angelika Zirker, Catherine Gimelli Martin, Jennifer Pacenza), Moral, Public, and Spatial Imaginaries (Mary Blackstone and Jeanne Shami, Douglas Trevor), Names, Puns, and More (Marshall Grossman, David Lee Miller, Julian Lamb), and Realms of Privacy and Imagination (Anita Gilman Sherman, Judith H. Anderson).