Pojem „conceit“ v alžbětinské literární teorii a skandál metafyzické poezie

The article discusses the term “conceit” as the key constructional element of English Renaissance poetry and its significance for the definition of the English metaphysical school. In the first part, the author attempts to define the term on the basis of the crucial theoretical works of the Elizabethan period (Gascoigne, Sidney, Webb, Puttenham, Hoskins) with a cursory reference to the work of B. Jonson in the early Stuart period. The “scandal” of the English metaphysical school is then discussed in relation to the domestic Elizabethan tradition and to some of the major theoretical works in continental Europe (Gracián and Tesauro). At the end, the author explains the significance of the term “conceit” for interpreting early modern poetry