“So Were I Equalled in Renown:” Autobiographical Elements and the Epic Poet's Career in Milton

John Milton is outlier among poets of the seventeenth century in his extensive recourse to details of his personal life, which are made integral part, covertly or explicitly, of his many works. From the early “Nativity Ode” onwards we can identify confessional passages in many of his poems that can...

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Main Authors: Maria Rita Drumond Viana, Andrey Felipe Martins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 2019-02-01
Series:Ilha do Desterro
Online Access:https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/desterro/article/view/57718
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author Maria Rita Drumond Viana
Andrey Felipe Martins
author_facet Maria Rita Drumond Viana
Andrey Felipe Martins
author_sort Maria Rita Drumond Viana
collection DOAJ
description John Milton is outlier among poets of the seventeenth century in his extensive recourse to details of his personal life, which are made integral part, covertly or explicitly, of his many works. From the early “Nativity Ode” onwards we can identify confessional passages in many of his poems that can be read autobiographically. What draws our attention to Milton’s case is that it also prefigures a major cultural and political revolution, in which the legitimacy of the individual consciousness was revalued. The main aim of this article is to explore specific moments in Milton’s oeuvre in which the autobiographical vein comes into sharp focus. Differently from his more mature work, in which he does not waver in confidence, in the earlier writings we can spot the doubts and anxieties of an apprentice poet of unbounded aspiration.
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spelling doaj-art-b9807c20ba5f4aa4a3a4d16fcc5428192025-08-20T03:05:22ZengUniversidade Federal de Santa CatarinaIlha do Desterro0101-48462175-80262019-02-0172110.5007/2175-8026.2019v72n1p7130267“So Were I Equalled in Renown:” Autobiographical Elements and the Epic Poet's Career in MiltonMaria Rita Drumond Viana0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1985-3375Andrey Felipe Martins1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2193-3216UFSCUFSC John Milton is outlier among poets of the seventeenth century in his extensive recourse to details of his personal life, which are made integral part, covertly or explicitly, of his many works. From the early “Nativity Ode” onwards we can identify confessional passages in many of his poems that can be read autobiographically. What draws our attention to Milton’s case is that it also prefigures a major cultural and political revolution, in which the legitimacy of the individual consciousness was revalued. The main aim of this article is to explore specific moments in Milton’s oeuvre in which the autobiographical vein comes into sharp focus. Differently from his more mature work, in which he does not waver in confidence, in the earlier writings we can spot the doubts and anxieties of an apprentice poet of unbounded aspiration. https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/desterro/article/view/57718
spellingShingle Maria Rita Drumond Viana
Andrey Felipe Martins
“So Were I Equalled in Renown:” Autobiographical Elements and the Epic Poet's Career in Milton
Ilha do Desterro
title “So Were I Equalled in Renown:” Autobiographical Elements and the Epic Poet's Career in Milton
title_full “So Were I Equalled in Renown:” Autobiographical Elements and the Epic Poet's Career in Milton
title_fullStr “So Were I Equalled in Renown:” Autobiographical Elements and the Epic Poet's Career in Milton
title_full_unstemmed “So Were I Equalled in Renown:” Autobiographical Elements and the Epic Poet's Career in Milton
title_short “So Were I Equalled in Renown:” Autobiographical Elements and the Epic Poet's Career in Milton
title_sort so were i equalled in renown autobiographical elements and the epic poet s career in milton
url https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/desterro/article/view/57718
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