Areopagitica and Other Writings

by John Milton, William Frederick Poole (Editor, Introduction)

'He who destroys a good book, kills reason itself'

John Milton is renowned for his poetry, yet during most of his lifetime he was best known as a writer of prose, both celebrated and denounced for his fiery polemics in an era of religious and political controversy, radical pamphleteering and civil war. This annotated edition of his major English prose writings includes Milton's tractates in favour of divorce, on progressive education, in defence of the execution of Charles I and the new Republican state, and Areopagitica, his famous attack on censorship and call for a free press. Rhetorical, powerful, heterodox, these are monuments to the ideals of liberty and free speech from a master of English prose.

Genres: Classics, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Essays, Politics, Poetry, 17th Century

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2014

About the author

People best know John Milton, English scholar, for Paradise Lost , the epic poem of 1667 and an account of fall of humanity from grace.

Beelzebub, one fallen angel in Paradise Lost, of John Milton, lay in power next to Satan.

Belial, one fallen angel, rebelled against God in Paradise Lost of John Milton.


John Milton, polemicist, man of letters, served the civil Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote in blank verse at a time of religious flux and political upheaval.

Prose of John Milton reflects deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. He wrote in Latin, Greek, and Italian and achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644) in condemnation of censorship before publication among most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and the press of history.

William Hayley in biography of 1796 called and generally regarded John Milton, the "greatest ... author," "as one of the preeminent writers in the ... language," though since his death, critical reception oscillated often on his republicanism in the centuries. Samuel Johnson praised, "with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the ... mind," though he, a Tory and recipient of royal patronage, described politics of Milton, an "acrimonious and surly republican."

Because of his republicanism, centuries of British partisanship subjected John Milton.

Reviews

[Kate♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5stars

I read this for my MA. I really hope Milton's poetry is easier than his prose cause damn this was a struggle

[C. B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Areopagitica is beautifully written and very appealing intellectually. That said, it's important to see it in its historical context (the 1643 Ordinance for the Regulating of Printing). If one doesn't do this, one may fall into the trap of seeing it as a straightforward call for total freedom of the press (which it is not). The other essays are more purely of historical interest (beyond style); a good example of this is The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, which leads one into a discussion about English republicanism and the nature of its development.

[Deborah Siddoway · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to love Milton. To be fair, I only purchased this book in order to read The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, which was effectively Milton's rant to bring an end to the indissolubility of marriage following his wife deciding to return to her mother a few months after the marriage. It is unknown what the problem within the marriage was, but given that Milton was at thirty-five marrying a sixteen year old, it might be that his wife was not particularly happy about being married to a much older man. Milton also had something of a reputation for being a domestic tyrant. I skimmed over his other pamphlets/treatises, but the divorce one gives an interesting insight into societal understanding of marriage and divorce at the time - a time when the religion of the country had been in a state of flux, and marriage was intrinsically tied to concepts of religious faith. His reasons as to why divorce should be permissible are cogently argued, and actually reflect the way in which divorce law ultimately developed in the country. An intriguing read for this interested in the finer arguments regarding indissolubility of marriage, Milton and divorce.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the pre-Restoration works in this collection. I found the first selection on church government very dry, and I wished the editor had contextualized it more in the introduction. The essay on Education outlined an intense, pretentious curriculum for young men.

The essay on Divorce was quite nice, although once in a while his bile towards boring women who are unable to hold any conversation and are boring their husbands to death comes out. It was interesting to see what theological and scriptural arguments he used to argue that good conversation and warding off loneliness, as opposed to procreative sex, were the main purposes of Christian marriage.

The Areopagitica was where I finally warmed to his style (or perhaps his style simply improved). It was a rousing defense of the freedom of speech and thought. Many of the arguments are by now cliches, but he utilized a wider range of historical examples than any modern Liberal would.

The essay on why the parliament should be allowed to execute the king wasn't quite at the same standard of style, and was similarly a bit cliched, but interesting enough.

[lina ⌖ · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading areopagitica feels like being stuck in a grimy and dark party by a man talking so passionately and with such conviction that you can’t help but listen, even if you’re not sure you agree with him. milton burns with this intense, nearly unsettling passion for knowledge and books, seeing censorship as not just a political issue but more of a deep and moral wound, something that cuts to the heart of what it means to think freely and live fully. his words may spiral and twist, yea, but there’s a strange beauty in it all and there’s a kind of forever devotion to the idea that books are BOTH!!!! sacred and dangerous.

[Billie Pritchett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd mostly prefer to read most anything else. The book is boring and often Milton's style outruns his argument. This is a collection of essays and speeches from Milton, representing his protestant perspective on Christianity and a kind of nascent, tepid liberal-republicanism in vogue in the 17th century. Not to say that Milton wasn't at the vanguard of this tepid liberal-republicanism. He was and it almost lost him his head. These are decent historical documents but don't expect a pleasant time.

[Boone Ayala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read Areopagitica specifically

[Jelena · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone who enjoys Milton's style of writing and his polemical opinions.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

milton’s prose is both a pain and a delight to read

[Jaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Areopagitica is a touchstone classic. Milton’s defense of free expression is admirable. Anyone who decries free speech and seeks to censor others and has not read this literature is fool

[Stavros Cardasis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been 200 pages shorter.