English 118

Other Readings and Media

Milton, J.: Complete Poems and Major Prose (ed. Merritt Y. Hughes), Hackett Publishing Company

A note on texts: I am very concerned about the rising prices of textbooks and the serious burden these can place on student budgets; however, each member of the class must have his or her own copy of the (actual, not virtual) book required for this class. The good news: there is only one required text, and I have looked for the least expensive available collection. Keep in mind, too, that heavily discounted copies of this edition are available for purchase at Amazon.com, and other sites. The ASUC bookstore and Ned’s will be ordering and offering used copies as well.

Description

John Milton has too often been represented as the mainstay of an entrenched canon, a “required” author. However, as we follow Milton’s carefully orchestrated career, from the shorter and earlier work, through some of the controversial prose of the English civil war era (Areopagitica, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, and a few others), to the astounding work that emerged in the wake of political defeat (Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes), we will discover a very different poet and political thinker, more an iconoclast than an icon. We will come to understand Milton’s writing in relation to the two revolutions that he witnessed and took part in—one political; the other scientific—and we will also think about his experiments in literary form, his ambivalent incorporations, revisions, or expansions of both classical literature and biblical texts, the function of his often unorthodox theology, his writings on marriage and divorce, his long preoccupation with vocation, and more.

Course requirements will probably include two short essays, a midterm, and a final, as well as quick reading quizzes to assess your preparation of the readings by (not after) their assigned dates. Attendance of all lectures is a necessity for each member of the class.

This course satisfies the pre-1800 requirement for the English major.