1. Introduction: Milton, Power, and the Power of Milton

Milton (ENGL 220)An introduction to John Milton: man, poet, and legend. Milton's place at the center of the English literary canon is asserted, articulated, and examined through a discussion of Milton's long, complicated association with literary power. The conception of Miltonic power and its calculated use in political literature is analyzed in the feminist writings of Lady Mary Chudleigh, Mary Astell, and Virginia Woolf. Later the god-like qualities often ascribed to Miltonic authority are considered alongside Satan's excursus on the constructed nature of divine might in Paradise Lost, and the notorious character's method of analysis is shown to be a useful mode of encountering the author himself.00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction: Milton's Power as a Poet15:37 - Chapter 2. Lady Mary Chudleigh on Milton and the Priority of the Sexes19:42 - Chapter 3. Mary Astell on Milton and the Priority of the Sexes24:03 - Chapter 4. Virginia Woolf on Milton and the Priority of the Sexes32:20 - Chapter 5. Milton, Power and the Revolution against God by SatanComplete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/coursesThis course was recorded in Fall 2007. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices