Remembering and Repeating: On Milton's Theology and Poetics

by Regina M. Schwartz

In this graceful and compelling book, Regina Schwartz presents a powerful reading of Paradise Lost by tracing the structure of the poem to the pattern of "repeated beginnings" found in the Bible. In both works, the world order is constantly threatened by chaos. By drawing on both the Bible and the more contemporary works of, among others, Freud, Lacan, Ricoeur, Said, and Derrida, Schwartz argues that chaos does not simply threaten order, but rather, chaos inheres in order.

"A brilliant study that quietly but powerfully recharacterizes many of the contexts of discussion in Milton criticism. Particularly noteworthy is Schwartz's ability to introduce advanced theoretical perspectives without ever taking the focus of attention away from the dynamics and problematics of Milton's poem."—Stanley Fish

Genres: Nonfiction

158 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 1989

About the author

Regina M. Schwartz, Duke University

Reviews

[Addie]

Excellent and thought-provoking thesis from Schwartz; her depth of knowledge, incisive scholarly mind, and ability to draw connections between a diverse range of thinkers and philosophies are all very impressive. Also, just gorgeous work on Paradise Lost that has only further excited my love for the text :)

[Lanier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chaos is EVIL. It's Hell, Night, Lucifer's negative free will and within everything, so deal with it and let's move on, already! This study is well done, not too heavy like some source materials I've had to sleep through. I love chaos, as presented within Milton's PL, and this helps put some extra little twists on my three levels of Chaos—the character, the place and the abstract.