Few early modern poets engaged more fully with their historical circumstances than John Milton. A pamphleteer, government employee, and writer of occasional verse, Milton did not retreat from public life even after his political hopes were dashed by the Restoration. This volume investigates the various ways that Milton’s works and experiences emerged from his culture. In a series of concise, engaging essays, an international group of scholars examines both the social conditions of Milton’s life and the broader intellectual currents that shaped his writings and reputation. Milton in Context is an accessible reference work that both general readers and specialists will turn to again and again to enrich their understanding of Milton’s writings and his world.
Winner of the Irene Samuel Memorial Award given by the Milton Society of America for a distinguished edited collection (2011)
“This impressive volume . . . is both sweeping and penetrative . . . Milton in Context is an excellent representation of the current state of Milton studies . . . There have been countless critical anthologies before Milton in Context, but this one stands out for its courting of different methodologies, interrelation of topics, disparate observations, and dialectical politesse among contributors.”
Emily E. Speller, The Ben Jonson Journal
“Not since The Age of Milton, edited by C. A. Patrides and Raymond Waddington (published thirty years ago), have we had a book that offers such a full and diverse treatment of Milton’s historical and cultural conditions . . . The volume gives the reader a rich sense of the multiple contexts from which Milton and his works can profitably be approached . . . Students and scholars alike will find Milton in Context a valuable resource that will stimulate further inquiry into and debate about Milton and his historical circumstances.”
David Loewenstein, SEL: Studies in English Literature
“ . . . thoughtfully planned, well edited, and handsomely produced . . . very useful.”
Paul Hammond, The Seventeenth Century
“In every case, . . . the choice of author for entry makes sense, given each contributor’s scholarly record, and every entry stays within its primarily contextual frame. One can see how the volume functions as a supplemental aid, supplying a series of contextual layers against which Paradise Lost or indeed any of Milton’s works might be read.”
Sean H. McDowell, Seventeenth-Century News
“ . . . distinguished group of authors . . . [The book] provides up-to-date analyses of the cultural contexts from which Milton’s writings emerged . . . Highly recommended.”
Choice
“Milton in Context . . . is a usefully-organized and in-depth introduction to Milton that will benefit advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and even first- (or second-) time instructors . . . in a survey or single-author course.”
Michael Bryson, Milton Quarterly
