John Milton

the long version

John Milton: The Prose Works covers Milton's entire intellectual career, from his early student exercises to his posthumous works, including the controversial De Doctrina Christiana. Alongside a clear, engaging description of the religious and political battles dividing seventeenth-century England, Corns explores such widely studied tracts as Areopagitica, England's first formal treatise on the freedom of the press, and Of Education, a cornerstone in the philosophy of education. Also discussed are a series of pamphlets calling for reform of England's divorce laws, which offended Puritan authorities and launched Milton's career as a radical activist. Unwavering in his defense of Cromwell's republic and the execution of Charles I, Milton risked his life by writing a series of republican pamphlets shortly before Charles II returned to the throne. Having lost his sight while writing for what he believed in, he relinquished much of his personal fortune when the English republic dissolved. Milton's best-known works, published in the ensuing years, can only be fully understood in the context of his profound commitment to republican ideals. For beginning students as well as advanced scholars, Thomas Corn's comprehensive study provides rich insights into this vital aspect of Milton's development.