Milton

Catalog description

This course offers students an in-depth study of John Milton’s monumental epic poem Paradise Lost in its religious, political, and cultural contexts. We will consider Milton’s place in literary history, his impact on later writers (including the Romantics), his religious and political radicalism, and his poetic afterlives in contemporary popular culture (from the graphic novel to science fiction). In addition to ParadiseLost, we may examine Milton’s 1645 poems, prose writing, and late masterpiece, Samson Agonistes. We will also engage some critical reading practices, including disability studies, gender and sexuality studies, and ecocriticism, as tools for understanding Milton’s lasting political and cultural importance.