Reading John Milton

Stephen B. Dobranski is Distinguished University Professor at Georgia State University and the editor of the journal Milton Studies. His books include Readers and Authorship in Early Modern England (2005), Milton's Visual Imagination (2015), and a new edition of Paradise Lost (2022). He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and their daughter.

Introduction 1. The Power of Language: "These defenseless doors" 2. Personal Loss: "Weep no more" 3. Combating Injustice: "Need not kings to make them happy" 4. Physical Suffering: "Only stand and wait" 5. Free Speech: "Precious lifeblood" 6. Arrogance: "Pride and worse ambition" 7. Forgiveness: "Hand in hand with wand'ring steps" 8. Resisting Temptation: "He who reigns within himself" 9. Doubt: "Strenuous liberty" 10. Surviving Disaster: "By small / Accomplishing great things" Epilogue

"Reading John Milton is an erudite and lively guide both to Milton's turbulent life and his riveting writings, and makes a powerful case for the excitement of engaging with him in our contemporary moment."-Joe Moshenska, author of Making Darkness Light: A Life of John Milton "Milton may have had the most tumultuous life of any major English poet. This lavishly illustrated study revitalizes our image of him by showing his deep immersion in-and resilience to-the catastrophes of his times."-Leah S. Marcus, author of How Shakespeare Became Colonial "This contemporary, informed, accessible introduction to Milton's life is the one book I might share with literally anyone who cares about language and literature. Dobranski reminds us that Milton was a public intellectual, and offers him back to us."-Wendy Furman-Adams, coeditor of Riven Unities: Authority and Experience, Self and Other in Milton's Poetry "Ingeniously organized around a biographical core, this full-throated celebration of the work and thought of John Milton heartily commends him to readers of our own age."-Thomas N. Corns, coauthor of John Milton: Life, Work, and Thought "This book provides an accessible, approachable, introduction to the life and writings of John Milton. Thoughtfully and beautifully illustrated, it seeks to open up one of the greatest poets in literary history to a contemporary audience."-Blaine Greteman, author of Networking Print in Shakespeare's England "Dobranski does a marvelous job of revealing just as much about Milton himself as he does about the man's work through close readings that create an illuminating portrait of an artist who 'aspired to transcend his own limitations, defeats, and prejudices, continuing to work tirelessly and trying to... help his readers to live freely and righteously.' This puts to rest the notion that Milton is just for academics."-Publishers Weekly "As a scholar of the finest caliber, Dobranski has everything at his fingertips-the full range of primary texts in both poetry and prose; the minutest biographical details; the sweeping sociopolitical contexts; and the corpus of secondary scholarship. As a result, he moves quite comfortably across the Miltonic landscape, and the readings here have a relaxed feel.... [I]t was a pleasure to come along as Dobranski takes the pulse of one of our greatest writers."-Alison A. Chapman, Modern Philology "If you only add one Milton book for your library, this is the one."-Cliff Cunningham, Sun News Austin "Reading John Milton is written in an accessible and engaging style while simultaneously highlighting Dobranski's deep knowledge of the author's works, secondary scholarship on Milton, and seventeenth-century European cultural, religious, and political history. The Milton who emerges from Dobranski's thematic study, while often arrogant and acerbic, was deeply committed to his 'belief in free will and personal responsibility.' These beliefs, which stemmed from Milton's experiences of political and personal turmoil, informed and shaped his works, which today continue to provide readers with advice on how to overcome disaster with courage and conviction."-Jennifer Lodine-Chaffey, H-Albion