Alternative Miltons

This seminar undertakes a close reading of Milton's monumentally significant epic "Paradise Lost." We will also consider the current state of Milton criticism. What's new in Milton criticism? What approaches have been holding fort? Has Milton criticism been slower to take to critical and theoretical innovation than Shakespeare criticism? If so, why, and what might we do about it? On that account, the seminar will engage a range of newer approaches—disability studies, queer theory, trauma theory, eco-criticism, animal studies, technoculture studies, and popular culture studies—to consider what they have to offer by way of new perspectives on Milton. Enrollment limited to 15 graduate students.