A Concise Companion to Milton

With brevity, depth, and accessibility, this book helps readers to appreciate the works of John Milton, and to understand the great influence they have had on literature and other disciplines. Presents new and authoritative essays by internationally respected Milton scholars. Explains how and why Milton's works established their central place in the English literary canon. Structured chronologically around Milton's major works. Also includes a select bibliography and a chronology detailing Milton's life and works alongside relevant world events. Ideal as a first critical work on Milton.

Notes on Contributors. Introduction: Angelica Duran (Purdue University). Part I: Surveys:. 1. A Reading of His "left hand": Milton's Prose: Robert Fallon (Professor Emeritus, LaSalle University). 2. "Shedding sweet influence": The Legacy of John Milton's Works: John T. Shawcross (Professor Emeritus, University of Kentucky). 3. "The world all before [us]": More than Three Hundred Years of Criticism: Roy Flannagan (University of South Carolina, Beaufort). Part II: Textual sites:. 4. First and Last Fruits of Education: The Companion Poems, Epistola, and Educational Prose Works: Angelica Duran (Purdue University). 5. Milton's Heroic Sonnets: Annabel Patterson (Professor Emeritus, Yale University). 6. The Lives of Lycidas: Paul Alpers (Smith College). 7. A Mask: Tradition and Innovation: Katsuhiro Engetsu (Doshisha University, Japan). 8. The Bible, Religion, and Spirituality in Paradise Lost: Achsah Guibbory (Barnard College). 9. Gender, Sex, and Marriage in Paradise: Karen L. Edwards (Exeter University). 10. The Ecology of Paradise Lost: Juliet Lucy Cummins (University of Western Sydney). 11. The Messianic Vision of Paradise Regained: David Gay (University of Alberta). 12. The Nightmare of History: Samson Agonistes: Louis Schwartz (University of Richmond). Part II: References:. Select Chronology: "Speak of things at hand/ Useful": Edward Jones (Oklahoma State University). Select Bibliography: "Much arguing, much writing, many opinions": J. Martin Evans (Stanford University). Index