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Rating: 
Summary: Church, or Muse . . . Doctrine, or Verse ...
Review: [John Milton, son of a scrivener and musician...]
This review is of the Oxford World's Classics edition of
-John Milton: The Major Works- (ISBN: 019280409X),
edited and with an Introduction by Stephen Orgel and
Jonathan Goldberg.
"That kings for such a tomb would wish to die" (John
Milton-- "On Shakespeare") -- "one of the greatest,
most noble, and most sublime poems which either this
age or nation has produced" (John Dryden -- on -Paradise
Lost-). The picture drawn of Milton, his life, and his
career (or careers) by Orgel and Goldberg is of a
man of intelligence and means who had been educated
for the life of a gentleman and a scholar in his
early life, yet finding that the surge of events
and ideologies has a way of changing one's timing,
course of expression, and even personal fate. Thus
Milton makes conflicting statements about his intents,
his "ripeness" (maturity of intellect and wisdom, more
than age), and which venue is his real chosen arena
of expression.
His first published poem, is anonymous, and is
"On Shakespeare" included in "the dedicatory verses
to the second Shakespeare folio[1632]." (Chronology.) Yet
in his first signed publication, -The Reason for Church
Government- (1642), a prose tract, "Milton presents himself ...
as a poet who uses only his 'left hand'
in writing prose. In the account he gives, his entire
life appears to have been spent in training as a poet." (Introduction.)
As the eldest son, however, he "had been from childhood
'destined'...to a Church career." (Introduction.) But
events intrude, as well as yearnings, and the 2 Jan. 1646
publication of -Poems of Mr. John MIlton, Both English
and Latin-, dated 1645. The Church career never materializes,
but in a strange way, a more interesting "preaching" or
"exhorting" or "inspirational" one does, through his
poetry, rather than his political tracts. And Milton,
perhaps even oblivious to his own constantly self-
revisionist attitudes and stances, creates a more
enduring legacy which has influenced literature,
scholarship, views about justifying "the ways of
God to man" (from -Paradise Lost-), and the common
cultural views about Satan, and Hell, and the Fall,
even more so than those of Dante.
This is an excellent edition which contains the
shorter English poems, the Latin poems (with both
Latin text on left pages -- and the Enlish translations
on the right pages), Selections from -A Book of
Sylvae-, Greek poem added 1673, Carmina Elegiaca,
the Prose Works: from -The Reason of Church Government-,
from -An Apology for Smectymnuus-, -The Doctrine and
Discipline of Divorce (Complete), -Of Education-
(Complete), -Areopagitica- (Complete), -The Tenure
of Kings and Magistrates- (Complete), from -The
Second Defence of the English People, -The Ready and
Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth- (Complete).
Of course, there is also -Paradise Lost- (Complete);
-Paradise Regained- (Complete); and -Samson Agonistes-
(Complete). Highly enlightening are 3 Familiar Letters
of 1674: "To Charles Diodati, 1637"; "To Benedetto
Buonmattei, 1638"; and "To Leonard Philaras, Athenian."
There is a lengthy excerpt from -Christian Doctrine-
which starts out talking of "restoring religion to
something of its pure original state" and has the
very interesting (telling) perspective on Milton's
own "cross": "If I were to say that I had focused
my studies principally upon Christian doctrine because
nothing else can so effectually wipe away those two
repulsive affictions,tyranny and superstition [of
course, no idea that doctrine itself might promote
those two evils -- R.K.], from human life and the
human mind, I should show that I had been concerned
not for religion but for life's well-being." And
the glory of Oxford editions, there are copious
notes in the back going from page 735 to page 959,
Further Reading List, and Index of Titles and First
Lines. At this price, this volume is a real steal
(er, get thee behind me, Satan...) ... bargain!
-- Robert Kilgore.
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