The Humanism of Milton's Paradise Lost"The great divide in commentary on Paradise Lost is between historical and critical analysis. In his discussion of the poem, David Reid combines both approaches, at once placing it historically in terms of neoclassical humanism, and reflecting on it critically as a late twentieth-century humanist." "As a historian, Reid argues that Paradise Lost shares in the cultural effort of neoclassical humanism, and yet, in its picture of volition, the poem stands apart from it - Milton's understanding of freedom, error and guilt owing more to his Protestant than to his humanist concerns. And as a critic, Reid argues that surprisingly Milton's religious understanding speaks more directly to our humanism than his splendid articulation of neoclassical humanist themes."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
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Page 68
... moral medicine ( Book 1 , st . 3 ) . " Here , in a traditional figure , Tasso gives expression to the didactic view of poetry : poetry seduces the reader to the truth by a kind of high - minded meretriciousness . On the one hand there ...
... moral medicine ( Book 1 , st . 3 ) . " Here , in a traditional figure , Tasso gives expression to the didactic view of poetry : poetry seduces the reader to the truth by a kind of high - minded meretriciousness . On the one hand there ...
Page 129
... moral law involve the same motions of the will . The error , guilt and repentance of Adam and Eve take a human course , and Milton's peculiar grasp of volition is as good moral psychology as religious psychology . The other part of the ...
... moral law involve the same motions of the will . The error , guilt and repentance of Adam and Eve take a human course , and Milton's peculiar grasp of volition is as good moral psychology as religious psychology . The other part of the ...
Page 166
... moral in the poem , and found it ' the most universal and most useful that can be imagined ' , ' that obedience to the will of God makes men happy , and that disobe- dience makes them miserable'.1 Yet even if Paradise Lost does ...
... moral in the poem , and found it ' the most universal and most useful that can be imagined ' , ' that obedience to the will of God makes men happy , and that disobe- dience makes them miserable'.1 Yet even if Paradise Lost does ...
Common terms and phrases
Absalom and Achitophel Adam and Eve Adam's angels Armida Arminian Augustan Bondage Book choice Christian Doctrine Christian humanism concerns corruption creation creaturely culture death despair divine Dryden earth earthly eloquence Empson Erasmus Erasmus's Essays Eve's evil experience Faerie Queene fall fallen feel forbidden knowledge freedom from constraint fruit God's heaven heavenly hell heroic human action human finitude human nature ideal imitation imagination innocence invocation involved Jerusalem Delivered John Dryden judgement light lines literary literature London looks Luther means Middlemarch Milton Milton's treatment mind moral ideas motions neoclassical epic neoclassical humanism neoclassical humanist Paradise Lost Petrarch philosophy poem poet poetry prohibition Raphael rational reason religious Renaissance Renaissance humanism Renaissance humanists rhetorical Rinaldo Satan scheme scholastic scholasticism schoolmen seems sense serpent shows sort soul speaks spirit suggests talk Tasso temperance theology thought turns understanding unfallen universal Valla virtues and vices volition