Poet of Revolution: The Making of John Milton

John Milton's literary, intellectual, and political development is explored in Nicholas McDowell's Poet of Revolution, which provides a new account of the poet's political radicalization. McDowell charts Milton's development from his earliest days as a London schoolboy to his emergence as a public writer during the English Civil War, presenting fresh, contextual readings of his best-known works.

Format: Hardback
Length: 502 pages
Publication date: 27 October 2020
Publisher: Princeton University Press

John Milton (1608-1674) holds a distinct place in literary and intellectual history, as the author of both Paradise Lost, the greatest narrative poem in English, and prose defenses of the execution of Charles I, which influenced the French and American revolutions. Poet of Revolution, an unmatched biographical account of Milton's formative years, delves into the depths of his literary, intellectual, and political development, providing a comprehensive understanding of the mind that would later create Paradise Lost but would first justify the killing of a king.

Biographers of Milton have long sought to explain the transformation of the young poet into a notorious defender of regicide and radical ideas such as freedom of the press, religious toleration, and republicanism. In this groundbreaking intellectual biography of Milton's formative years, Nicholas McDowell utilizes recent archival discoveries to reconcile the poet and polemicist. He traces Milton's journey from his early days as a London schoolboy to his university life and travels in Italy, culminating in his emergence as a public writer during the English Civil War.

At the same time, McDowell offers fresh and richly contextual readings of Milton's most renowned works from this period, including the "Nativity Ode," "L'Allegro," and "Il Penseroso," Comus, and Lycidas. Challenging the notion that Milton was always a secret radical, Poet of Revolution demonstrates how the events that provoked civil war in England, combined with Milton's remarkable program of self-education, instilled the beliefs that would shape not only his political prose but also his later epic masterpiece, Paradise Lost.

Through his meticulous research and insightful analysis, McDowell sheds new light on Milton's complex personality and the influences that shaped his intellectual and political development. This book is a valuable contribution to the study of Milton and will appeal to scholars, students, and anyone interested in the history of literature and politics.

Weight: 816g
Dimension: 167 x 244 x 46 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691154695