A Companion to Milton

Thomas N. Corns acknowledges in his preface that “Milton's standing with a wide readership appears … insecure” at the present time since students at American and British universities prefer modern literature. On the other hand, “the academic study of Milton has never been healthier”, with many informed investigations of his historical background and his theological outlook together with the applications to his work of recent theories and methodologies (including feminist criticism, cultural materialism and postcolonialism). He tells us, too, that four important editions of Milton's work have appeared since 1997. He therefore states that the “primary objective of this volume...