Milton and Music

Writing about music in Milton's poetry has by and large followed the curious pattern of de-emphasising the importance of music itself. Critics have variously understood the music described in his poetry as a metaphor for politics, for cosmological order, or for poetry itself; and in the compara...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Essays in criticism 2016-01, Vol.66 (1), p.96-116
Main Author: Herbst, Seth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Lyricists
Metaphor
Milton, John (1608-1674)
Music
Poetry
Poets
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Writing about music in Milton's poetry has by and large followed the curious pattern of de-emphasising the importance of music itself. Critics have variously understood the music described in his poetry as a metaphor for politics, for cosmological order, or for poetry itself; and in the comparatively few instances in which the music has been considered on its own terms, scholars have generally agreed that Milton classifies it as an inferior sister to poetry. His poetic accounts of music have received relatively little attention as a serious effort to describe a unique, independent art form.
ISSN:0014-0856
1471-6852
DOI:10.1093/escrit/cgv031