{"product_id":"reading-john-milton-how-to-persist-in-troubled-times-hardback-9781503632707","title":"Reading John Milton; How to Persist in Troubled Times (Hardback) 9781503632707","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eReading John Milton\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eHow to Persist in Troubled Times\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eStephen Dobranski (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781503632707, Stanford University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 20 September 2022\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e328 pages, 41 halftones\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm, 0.662 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eReading John Milton\u003c\/i\u003e is an erudite and lively guide both to Milton's turbulent life and his riveting writings, and makes a powerful case for the excitement of engaging with him in our contemporary moment.\"—Joe Moshenska, author of \u003ci\u003eMaking Darkness Light: A Life of John Milton\u003c\/i\u003e \"Milton may have had the most tumultuous life of any major English poet. This lavishly illustrated study revitalizes our image of him by showing his deep immersion in—and resilience to—the catastrophes of his times.\"—Leah S. Marcus, author of \u003ci\u003eHow Shakespeare Became Colonial\u003c\/i\u003e \"This contemporary, informed, accessible introduction to Milton's life is the one book I might share with literally \u003ci\u003eanyone\u003c\/i\u003e who cares about language and literature. Dobranski reminds us that Milton was a \u003ci\u003epublic\u003c\/i\u003e intellectual, and offers him back to us.\"—Wendy Furman-Adams, coeditor of \u003ci\u003eRiven Unities: Authority and Experience, Self and Other in Milton's Poetry\u003c\/i\u003e \"Ingeniously organized around a biographical core, this full-throated celebration of the work and thought of John Milton heartily commends him to readers of our own age.\"—Thomas N. Corns, coauthor of \u003ci\u003eJohn Milton: Life, Work, and Thought\u003c\/i\u003e \"This book provides an accessible, approachable, introduction to the life and writings of John Milton. Thoughtfully and beautifully illustrated, it seeks to open up one of the greatest poets in literary history to a contemporary audience.\"—Blaine Greteman, author of \u003ci\u003eNetworking Print in Shakespeare's England\u003c\/i\u003e \"Dobranski does a marvelous job of revealing just as much about Milton himself as he does about the man's work through close readings that create an illuminating portrait of an artist who 'aspired to transcend his own limitations, defeats, and prejudices, continuing to work tirelessly and trying to... help his readers to live freely and righteously.' This puts to rest the notion that Milton is just for academics.\"—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \"As a scholar of the finest caliber, Dobranski has everything at his fingertips—the full range of primary texts in both poetry and prose; the minutest biographical details; the sweeping sociopolitical contexts; and the corpus of secondary scholarship. As a result, he moves quite comfortably across the Miltonic landscape, and the readings here have a relaxed feel.... [I]t was a pleasure to come along as Dobranski takes the pulse of one of our greatest writers.\"—Alison A. Chapman, \u003ci\u003eModern Philology\u003c\/i\u003e \"If you only add one Milton book for your library, this is the one.\"—Cliff Cunningham, \u003ci\u003eSun News Austin\u003c\/i\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eReading John Milton\u003c\/i\u003e is written in an accessible and engaging style while simultaneously highlighting Dobranski's deep knowledge of the author's works, secondary scholarship on Milton, and seventeenth-century European cultural, religious, and political history. The Milton who emerges from Dobranski's thematic study, while often arrogant and acerbic, was deeply committed to his 'belief in free will and personal responsibility.' These beliefs, which stemmed from Milton's experiences of political and personal turmoil, informed and shaped his works, which today continue to provide readers with advice on how to overcome disaster with courage and conviction.\"—Jennifer Lodine-Chaffey, \u003ci\u003eH-Albion\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA captivating biography that celebrates the audacious, inspiring life and works of John Milton, revealing how he speaks to our times.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJohn Milton is unrivalled—for the music of his verse and the breadth of his learning. In this brisk, topical, and engaging biography, Stephen B. Dobranski brushes the scholarly dust from the portrait of the artist to reveal Milton's essential humanity and his unwavering commitment to ideals—freedom of religion and the right and responsibility of all persons to think for themselves—that are still relevant and necessary in our times.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMilton's epic poem, \u003ci\u003eParadise Lost\u003c\/i\u003e, is considered by many to be English poetry's masterpiece. Samuel Johnson, not one for effusive praise, claimed that from Milton's \"books alone the Art of English Poetry might be learned.\" But Milton's renown rests on more than his artistic achievements. In a time of convulsive political turmoil, he justified the killing of a king, pioneered free speech, and publicly defended divorce. He was, in short, an iconoclast, an independent, even revolutionary, thinker. He was also an imperfect man—acrimonious, sometimes mean. Above all, he understood adversity. Afflicted by blindness, illness, and political imprisonment, Milton always sought to \"bear up and steer right onward\" through life's hardships.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDobranski looks beyond Milton's academic standing, beyond his reputation as a dour and devout purist, to reveal the ongoing power of his works and the dauntless courage that he both wrote about and exemplified. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e  1. The Power of Language: \"\u003cbr\u003eThese defenseless doors\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  2. Personal Loss: \"\u003cbr\u003eWeep no more\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  3. Combating Injustice: \"\u003cbr\u003eNeed not kings to make them happy\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  4. Physical Suffering: \"\u003cbr\u003eOnly stand and wait\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  5. Free Speech: \"\u003cbr\u003ePrecious lifeblood\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  6. Arrogance: \"\u003cbr\u003ePride and worse ambition\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  7. Forgiveness: \"\u003cbr\u003eHand in hand with wand'ring steps\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  8. Resisting Temptation: \"\u003cbr\u003eHe who reigns within himself\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  9. Doubt: \"\u003cbr\u003eStrenuous liberty\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  10. Surviving Disaster: \"\u003cbr\u003eBy small \/ Accomplishing great things\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  Epilogue\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Stanford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52685308231960,"sku":"9781503632707","price":23.37,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/reading-john-milton-how-to-persist-in-troubled-times-hardback-9781503632707","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}