A Concise Companion to Milton
Published on 26. October 2006
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-4051-2271-9 (ISBN)
Description
A Concise Companion to MILTON A Concise Companion to Milton provides readers with essential guides to appreciating the works of John Milton, and to understanding the great influence they have had on literature. The book consists of twelve short, newly-commissioned chapters written by internationally respected scholars from Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Combining brevity, depth and accessibility, it is an ideal first critical work on Milton.
The companion opens with a series of essays explaining how and why Milton's works established their central place in the English literary canon. The ensuing chapters follow Milton's major works in chronological order, clarifying complex issues that are particularly relevant to our contemporary society. Also included in the volume are a chronology and select bibliography detailing the events of Milton's life and works alongside relevant world events.
The companion opens with a series of essays explaining how and why Milton's works established their central place in the English literary canon. The ensuing chapters follow Milton's major works in chronological order, clarifying complex issues that are particularly relevant to our contemporary society. Also included in the volume are a chronology and select bibliography detailing the events of Milton's life and works alongside relevant world events.
Reviews / Votes
"The collection is remarkable for its collegiality. It not only respects the newcomer but allows the various contributors to follow up questions of interest to them, thus providing new insights even for long-time Miltonists." (Milton Quarterly, April 2009) "Above all, among the current crop of books, an essay that makes A Concise Companion to Milton worth buying all on its own, is Karen Edwards on "Gender, Sex and Marriage in Paradise Lost". (Times Literary Supplement, December 2008)"These 14 essays (plus introduction) largely succeed in their aim to 'provide readers with key guides to understanding the great influence and endurance' of the works of John Milton...The sections devoted to surveys and reference points will be especially useful for those struggling to understand Milton in his historical and cultural context." (Choice)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Hoboken
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
553 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4051-2271-9 (9781405122719)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Angelica Duran
A Concise Companion to Milton
E-Book
05/2008
Wiley-Blackwell
€34.99
Available for download
Person
Angelica Duran is Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Purdue University. A Milton specialist, she is on the editorial board of Milton Quarterly and is currently working on two book-length projects entitled Milton among Spaniards and Milton in Hispanoamerica. Her book on The Age of Milton and The Scientific Revolution is forthcoming in 2007.
Content
Notes on Contributors ix
Introduction 1
Angelica Duran
Part I Surveys
1 A Reading of His "left hand": Milton's Prose 7
Robert Thomas Fallon
2 "Shedding sweet influence": The Legacy of John Milton's Works 25
John T. Shawcross
3 "The world all before [us]": More than Three Hundred Years of Criticism 43
Roy Flannagan
Part II Textual Sites
4 First and Last Fruits of Education: The Companion Poems, Epistola, and Educational Prose Works 61
Angelica Duran
5 Milton's Heroic Sonnets 78
Annabel Patterson
6 The Lives of Lycidas 95
Paul Alpers
7 A Mask: Tradition and Innovation 111
Katsuhiro Engetsu
8 The Bible, Religion, and Spirituality in Paradise Lost 128
Achsah Guibbory
9 Gender, Sex, and Marriage in Paradise 144
Karen L. Edwards
10 The Ecology of Paradise Lost 161
Juliet Lucy Cummins
11 The Messianic Vision of Paradise Regained 178
David Gay
12 The Nightmare of History: Samson Agonistes 197
Louis Schwartz
Part III Reference Points
Select Chronology: "Speak of things at hand/ Useful" 217
Edward Jones
Select Bibliography: "Much arguing, much writing, many opinions" 235
J. Martin Evans
Index 270
Introduction 1
Angelica Duran
Part I Surveys
1 A Reading of His "left hand": Milton's Prose 7
Robert Thomas Fallon
2 "Shedding sweet influence": The Legacy of John Milton's Works 25
John T. Shawcross
3 "The world all before [us]": More than Three Hundred Years of Criticism 43
Roy Flannagan
Part II Textual Sites
4 First and Last Fruits of Education: The Companion Poems, Epistola, and Educational Prose Works 61
Angelica Duran
5 Milton's Heroic Sonnets 78
Annabel Patterson
6 The Lives of Lycidas 95
Paul Alpers
7 A Mask: Tradition and Innovation 111
Katsuhiro Engetsu
8 The Bible, Religion, and Spirituality in Paradise Lost 128
Achsah Guibbory
9 Gender, Sex, and Marriage in Paradise 144
Karen L. Edwards
10 The Ecology of Paradise Lost 161
Juliet Lucy Cummins
11 The Messianic Vision of Paradise Regained 178
David Gay
12 The Nightmare of History: Samson Agonistes 197
Louis Schwartz
Part III Reference Points
Select Chronology: "Speak of things at hand/ Useful" 217
Edward Jones
Select Bibliography: "Much arguing, much writing, many opinions" 235
J. Martin Evans
Index 270