Donne's ironic, passionate, sometimes bitter love lyrics mirror Jasper's life in modern London: one long (successful) pursuit of women. Jasper, the calligrapher, is transcribing Donne's Songs & Sonnets in a hand called Batarde (itself a comment on his behaviour). Though he cheerfully admits his perfidy and serial infidelity, his self-love remains essentially intact until ... but I won't give away the ending.
