Liberty in the Poetry and Prose of John Milton
Topic
As John Alvis observes in his foreword to the new Liberty Fund edition of
Areopagitica and Other Political Writings of John Milton, throughout his life "John Milton
pursued the one paramount project of discovering ground for his love of liberty in laws
of nature and of nature's God." More specifically, there is in Milton's prose and poetry
alike "the unifying theme of preparing individuals to understand and cultivate that
coordination of freedoms and responsibilities that Milton identified in the phrase
"Christian liberty"-that is, the freedom to work out one's salvation won for all mankind
by the Savior's intercession, example, and express teachings."
Guide to the Readings
Editions used:
- John Milton, Areopagitica, with a Commentary by Sir Richard C. Jebb and with Supplementary Material (Cambridge at the University Press, 1918).
- John Milton, The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth, edited with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary by Evert Mordecai Clark (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1915).
- John Milton, The Poetical Works of John Milton, edited after the Original Texts by the Rev. H.C. Beeching M.A. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1900).
See also in the Online Library of Liberty:
Tips on How To use the Online Library of Liberty.
For additional reading see:
Session I: Liberty of Thought in a Commonwealth
John Milton, Areopagitica, with a Commentary by Sir Richard C. Jebb and with Supplementary Material (Cambridge at the University Press, 1918).
John Milton, The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth, edited with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary by Evert Mordecai Clark (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1915).
Session II: Milton's Argument: Satan and God's Plan
Milton, Paradise Lost
Session III: The Economy of Eden: Man and Woman Before the Fall
Milton, Paradise Lost
Session IV: Satanic Liberty: Eve's Version of Liberty and Adam's Subsequent Choice
Milton, Paradise Lost
Session V: Christian Liberty and Threats Against It
Milton, Paradise Lost
Session VI: Liberty and Satan's Temptation of Christ: Understanding the Conditions
of Freedom.
Milton, Paradise Regained
|
Resources 
