Polite Wisdom: Heathen Rhetoric in Milton's Areopagitica

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Rowman & Littlefield, 1995 - Literary Collections - 113 pages
Through a careful and lively analysis of censorship in the Areopagitica, Paul M. Dowling challenges prevailing views of Milton as a Puritan and grapples with a perennial political issue: censorship. In addition to refuting traditional interpretations of Milton, Dowling's reading of the Areopagitica questions the currently fashionable assumption that thinkers unconsciously reflect the tenor of their times. Polite Wisdom will be of interest of political philosophers as well as scholars and students of English literature.

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Contents

Shrewd Frontispieces To the Parliament of England
1
Use or Abuse of History
19
The Christian Authorities
29
The Insufficiency of Licensing
45
The Harm of Licensing
65
Digression on the Nation
81
The Peroration What Is Appropriate for Each
93
Conclusion Polite Wisdom
105
Events in the Life of John Milton
109
Index
111
About the Author
Copyright

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About the author (1995)

Paul M. Dowling is professor of English at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.

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