Diamond, David
MWF 1 :50 PM
Park Hall 0139
An in-depth examination of the writings, world, and legacies of the poet and polemicist John Milton (1608-1674). The course simultaneously functions as an introduction to Milton's poetry and prose, a survey of influential criticism from the eighteenth century to the present, and an investigation of canon-formation. Areopagitica, Lycidas, Comus, De Doctrina Christiana, the sonnets: these and other works form our common archive with scholars representating an array of theoretical and political commitments, from reader response criticism to postcolonial studies to ecofeminism. As students develop familiarity with Milton's major works, they learn to apply, evaluate, and combine diverse interpretive frameworks. They also investigate the enduring cultural relevance of Milton's writings. Why does Mary Shelley have the monster in Frankenstein read Paradise Lost? What is it about the poem that would inspire Bradley Cooper to adapt it to film--and what is it about the text that has thus far, and perhaps permanently, thwarted his ambition? Why were English professors publicly debating the ethics of reading Samson Agonistes in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks? What are the stakes of reading Milton today?
Requirements include creative as well as critical writing assignments. Because we make use of the online scholarly editions of Dartmouth College's Milton Reading Room for primary texts, there are no books to purchase for this course.