A course in Milton's poetry and most important controversial prose. We'll pay much attention to how Milton secured, for himself, a reputation for heroic radicalism and, for English poetry, the grandiose claim to be something like a national scripture. Students interested in religion and literature, in the history of celebrity and censorship, and in the politics of form should find the course useful. We will take our time over Milton's early work, written when he was deciding whether he was a poet or a priest, but we'll devote most of our attention to his attempt to rewrite Genesis, distributing heroism across Christ, Satan, Adam, and Eve. Creative writers interested in early strategies of resistance to received forms may find studying Milton inspiring.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; FA HUM; EL EM
