Milton: Man and Poet

Name: Milton: Man and Poet
Author: G.K. Chesterton

Milton: Man and Poet is a biography of the English poet John Milton, written by G.K. Chesterton. The book is divided into two parts. The first part is a biographical account of Milton's life, from his birth in 1608 to his death in 1674. Chesterton examines Milton's upbringing, education, and career, as well as his relationships with his family, friends, and contemporaries. He also looks at Milton's religious beliefs and his political views. The second part of the book is a critical analysis of Milton's poetry, focusing on his major works such as Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes. Chesterton examines Milton's use of language, imagery, and symbolism, and discusses the themes and ideas that are explored in his poetry. He also looks at the influence of Milton's work on later poets and writers.

By G.K. Chesterton · First published 1936 · Genre: Biography, Literary Criticism, Poetry · 3,380 words

First lines

All the mass of acute and valuable matter written or compiled about Milton leaves eternally an unanswered question; a difficulty felt by all, if expressed by few, of his readers. That difficulty is a contrast between the man and his poems. There exists in the world a group of persons who perpetually try to prove that Shakespeare was a clown and could not have written about princes, or that he was a drunkard and could not have written about virtue. I think there is a slight fallacy in the argument. But I wonder that they have not tried the much more tempting sport of separating the author of _L' Allegro_ from the author of the _Defensus Populi Anglicani_. For the contrast between the man Milton and the poet Milton is very much greater than is commonly realized. I fear that the shortest and clearest way of stating it is that when all is said and done, he is a poet whom we cannot help liking, and a man whom we cannot like. I find it far easier to believe that an intoxicated Shakespeare wrote the marble parts of Shakespeare than that a marble Milton wrote the intoxicated, or, rather, intoxicating, parts of Milton. Milton's character was cold; he was one of those men who had every virtue except the one virtue needful. While other poets may have been polygamists from passion, he was polygamous on principle. While other artists were merely selfish, he was egoistic.

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Milton: Man and Poet is listed on Textopian as an essay by G.K. Chesterton, dated 1936 CE.

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Work type: Essay
Author: G.K. Chesterton
Date: 1936 CE
Language: English
Genres: Biography, Literary Criticism, Poetry, History
Length: 3,380 words
Structure: 1 section, 107 paragraphs
Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)

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Similar titles

Genres

Biography — The title of the book suggests that it is a biography of the poet Milton, and the author G.K. Chesterton is known for writing biographies.
Literary Criticism — The book is likely to include literary criticism of Milton's works, as it is written by a renowned literary critic.
Poetry — The book is likely to include some of Milton's poetry, as it is about the poet Milton.
History — The book may include some historical context about Milton's life and works, as it is a biography of the poet.