It feels like cheating to say that I've read this when I've only read Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. Hahahahaha, it's been a while since I've been on GoodReads. Samuel Johnson praised Paradise Lost as 'a poem which.with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the human mind,' though he (a Tory and recipient of royal patronage) described Milton's politics as those of an 'acrimonious and surly republican'.īecause of his republicanism, Milton has been the subject of centuries of British partisanship. William Hayley's 1796 biography called him the 'greatest English author,' and he remains generally regarded 'as one of the preeminent writers in the English language,' though critical reception has oscillated in the centuries since his death (often on account of his republicanism).

Writing in English, Latin, Greek, and Italian, he achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644)-written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship-is among history's most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and freedom of the press. Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), written in blank verse. As a boy, Milton was privately tutored by Thomas Young, a well-educated Presbyterian whose influence was likely the beginning of Milton’s radical religious views.John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. Milton’s father was estranged from his own father, since the older generation was Catholic and Milton Sr.

Milton was born in London, the eldest son of John Milton, a skillful composer and professional scrivener (a professional who wrote and copied out documents, as literacy was not widespread), and his wife Sarah.

Children: Anne, Mary, John, Deborah, and Katherine Milton.

Born: December 9, 1608 in London, England.

Known For: In addition to his epic poem Paradise Lost, Milton produced a considerable amount of poetry, as well as major prose works defending republican virtues and some degree of religious tolerance during the English Civil War.

The major works john milton