The Value of Milton

Leading critic John Leonard explores the writings of John Milton from his early poetry to his major prose.

John Leonard (Author)

9781107059856, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 June 2016

174 pages
22.7 x 14.3 x 1.5 cm, 0.32 kg

'Leonard is a Miltonist's Miltonist: a reader of rare sensitivity, and a scholar whose command of Milton's texts and their critical reception is probably unmatched. … Leonard applies his expository gifts and formidable learning to a smaller canvas, exploring, in seven short chapters, the most significant aspects of Milton's major works for a wide, general audience, and in so doing making the case for Milton's value today. It is a splendid contribution.' Timothy Raylor, Milton Quarterly

In The Value of Milton, leading critic John Leonard explores the writings of John Milton from his early poetry to his major prose. Milton's work includes one of the most difficult and challenging texts in the English literary canon, yet he remains impressively popular with general readers. Leonard demonstrates why Milton has enduring value for our own time, both as a defender of political liberty and as a poet of sublimity and terror who also exhibits moments of genuine humanity and compassion. A poet divided against himself, Milton offers different rewards to different readers. The Value of Milton examines not only the significance of his most celebrated verse but also the function of biblical allegory, classical culture, and the moods, voice and language that give Milton's writings their perennial appeal.

1. Areopagitica, toleration and free speech
2. The minor poems and 'the power / to save'
3. The political prose, 'in liberty's defence'
4. Paradise Lost, the sublime poem
5. Paradise Lost, 'solid good'
6. Paradise regained, 'To the utmost of mere man'
7. Samson Agonistes, tragedy and terror.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: poetry & poets [DSC], Literary theory [DSA], Literature: history & criticism [DS]