Title Dominion undeserved : Milton and the perils of creation / Eric B. Song

Published Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2013

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Description 1 online resource Contents The strange fire of the Tartars -- Wretched matter : Milton and rhyme -- Eden, the country house, and the Indies (East and West) -- Paradise lost and the question of Ireland -- Gemelle liber : Milton's 1671 archive Summary "That the writings of John Milton continue to provoke study and analysis centuries after his lifetime speaks no doubt to his literary greatness but also to the many ways in which his art both engaged and transcended the political and theological tensions of his age. In Dominion Undeserved, Eric B. Song offers a brilliant reading of Milton's major writings, finding in them a fundamental impasse that explains their creative power. According to Song, a divided view of creation governs Milton's related systems of cosmology, theology, art, and history. For Milton, any coherent entity--a nation, a poem, or even the new world--must be carved out of and guarded against an original unruliness. Despite being sanctioned by God, however, this agonistic mode of creation proves ineffective because it continues to manifest internal rifts that it can never fully overcome. This dilemma is especially pronounced in Milton's later writings, including Paradise Lost, where all forms of creativity must strive against the fact that chaos precedes order and that disruptive forces will continue to reemerge, seemingly without end. Song explores the many ways in which Milton transforms an intractable problem into the grounds for incisive commentary and politically charged artistry. This argument brings into focus topics ranging from Milton's recurring allusions to the Eastern Tartars, the way Milton engages with country house poetry and colonialist discourses in Paradise Lost, and the lasting relevance of Anglo-Irish affairs for his late writings. Song concludes with a new reading of Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes in which he shows how Milton's integration of conflicting elements forms the heart of his literary archive and confers urgency upon his message even as it reaches its future readers."--Publisher's website Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-200) Notes In English Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher Subject Milton, John, 1608-1674 -- Criticism and interpretation Milton, John, 1608-1674 -- Political and social views SUBJECT Milton, John, 1608-1674 -- Political and social views Milton, John, 1608-1674 -- Criticism and interpretation Milton, John, 1608-1674 fast Milton, John 1608-1674 gnd Subject Homeland in literature. Imperialism in literature. Creation in literature. LITERARY CRITICISM -- European -- English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh. POETRY -- English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh. Creation in literature Homeland in literature Imperialism in literature Political and social views Genre/Form Electronic books Criticism, interpretation, etc. Form Electronic book LC no. 2019725479 ISBN 9780801468087 0801468086 0801468094 9780801468094

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