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 44
... nature is in itself to attain ' an absolute perfection , and as it were divine ' . There is a touch of paradox here , an appropriation of stoical language to profoundly unstoical thoughts . Still , of all neoclassical humanists ...
... nature is in itself to attain ' an absolute perfection , and as it were divine ' . There is a touch of paradox here , an appropriation of stoical language to profoundly unstoical thoughts . Still , of all neoclassical humanists ...
Page 65
... nature . Only the poet , disdaining to be tied to any such subjection , lifted up with the vigor of his own invention , doth grow in effect another nature , in making things either better than nature bringeth forth , or quite anew ...
... nature . Only the poet , disdaining to be tied to any such subjection , lifted up with the vigor of his own invention , doth grow in effect another nature , in making things either better than nature bringeth forth , or quite anew ...
Page 78
... nature of which human nature is part . The universal design of Jerusalem Delivered is Tasso's moral scheme writ large . It reflects the otherworldly tendency of his ideas of order and temperance . In it , the world is so much the ...
... nature of which human nature is part . The universal design of Jerusalem Delivered is Tasso's moral scheme writ large . It reflects the otherworldly tendency of his ideas of order and temperance . In it , the world is so much the ...
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