Customer Reviews

The Cambridge Companion to Milton (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

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I never understood what all the fuss about Milton was about until I read this book. His times, his politics, his personality and his work are all illuminated in these essays.

Among the books in the great Cambridge Companion series, this work offers eighteen enlightening essays on John Milton: his prose, poetry, social life, etc. A rich buffet for the Milton scholar or student!

As a novice to Milton studies, I could be deceived by the quality of the essays collected here. Nevertheless, they read to me as informative, well-judged, well-documented introductions to the broad array of social, political, religious, and biographical dimensions of Milton's work. The balance of scholarly opinion seems to me good; the book is well edited and produced with the sheen that one expects of Cambridge University Press. One also expects CUP volumes, even in softcovers, to be overpriced. I purchased a "Like New" edition at an affordable price, was not deceived by the seller, and am clam-happy.

As a relative newcomer to the world of John Milton, I found this book incredibly useful in providing a comprehensive overview of the many facets of the man, his life, his work, his politics and his poetry. I would read it in conjunction with a good biography. The essays vary in their degree of complexity and the opinions of the essayists are thoughtful and informative and several of them exhibit a real passion for their subject. I'm not a Milton specialist but I would imagine there is enough substance here to keep even the most rigorous scholar stimulated and for students and people like myself who are interested in the man and world behind Paradise Lost, I can highly recommend it.