David A. Harper is the former Professor and Head of the Department of English and Philosophy at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. He is now teaching in the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, UK.

"David Harper’s Paradise Lost and the Making of English Literary Scholarship is an original piece of work based on rigorous archival research, on history of the book methodology, and on close reading. It is a book that reshapes our understanding of the history of English literary criticism and scholarship by illuminating how Paradise Lost was interpreted and annotated in the Restoration and its aftermath. This book makes a major contribution to scholarly work on the poem’s reception history, while deepening our understanding of the discipline of English literary scholarship and criticism. Scholars and students of Milton will greatly benefit from reading Harper’s book, as will anyone interested in the making of English literary scholarship."David Loewenstein, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, Penn State-University Park, USA

• AcknowledgementsFrequently Cited WorksIntroduction: Birth NarrativesChapter 1Milton’s Profaned Pen: Paradise Lost and the Political Anxiety of the RestorationChapter 2“Sad Conclusions:” Paradise Lost, John Dryden, and Political GenreChapter 3“So Bold in the Design:” John Dennis and the Sublime Paradise LostChapter 4“The Merit of Being the First:” Jacob Tonson’s 1695 Paradise Lost and Hume’s AnnotationsChapter 5The Great Explainer: Addison’s Return to Paradise LostChapter 6“Such Scorn of Enemies:” Richard Bentley’s Paradise LostBibliographyIndex

David A. Harper is the former Professor and Head of the Department of English and Philosophy at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. He is now teaching in the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, UK.

"David Harper’s Paradise Lost and the Making of English Literary Scholarship is an original piece of work based on rigorous archival research, on history of the book methodology, and on close reading. It is a book that reshapes our understanding of the history of English literary criticism and scholarship by illuminating how Paradise Lost was interpreted and annotated in the Restoration and its aftermath. This book makes a major contribution to scholarly work on the poem’s reception history, while deepening our understanding of the discipline of English literary scholarship and criticism. Scholars and students of Milton will greatly benefit from reading Harper’s book, as will anyone interested in the making of English literary scholarship."David Loewenstein, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, Penn State-University Park, USA

• AcknowledgementsFrequently Cited WorksIntroduction: Birth NarrativesChapter 1Milton’s Profaned Pen: Paradise Lost and the Political Anxiety of the RestorationChapter 2“Sad Conclusions:” Paradise Lost, John Dryden, and Political GenreChapter 3“So Bold in the Design:” John Dennis and the Sublime Paradise LostChapter 4“The Merit of Being the First:” Jacob Tonson’s 1695 Paradise Lost and Hume’s AnnotationsChapter 5The Great Explainer: Addison’s Return to Paradise LostChapter 6“Such Scorn of Enemies:” Richard Bentley’s Paradise LostBibliographyIndex

David A. Harper is the former Professor and Head of the Department of English and Philosophy at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. He is now teaching in the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, UK.

"David Harper’s Paradise Lost and the Making of English Literary Scholarship is an original piece of work based on rigorous archival research, on history of the book methodology, and on close reading. It is a book that reshapes our understanding of the history of English literary criticism and scholarship by illuminating how Paradise Lost was interpreted and annotated in the Restoration and its aftermath. This book makes a major contribution to scholarly work on the poem’s reception history, while deepening our understanding of the discipline of English literary scholarship and criticism. Scholars and students of Milton will greatly benefit from reading Harper’s book, as will anyone interested in the making of English literary scholarship."David Loewenstein, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, Penn State-University Park, USA

• AcknowledgementsFrequently Cited WorksIntroduction: Birth NarrativesChapter 1Milton’s Profaned Pen: Paradise Lost and the Political Anxiety of the RestorationChapter 2“Sad Conclusions:” Paradise Lost, John Dryden, and Political GenreChapter 3“So Bold in the Design:” John Dennis and the Sublime Paradise LostChapter 4“The Merit of Being the First:” Jacob Tonson’s 1695 Paradise Lost and Hume’s AnnotationsChapter 5The Great Explainer: Addison’s Return to Paradise LostChapter 6“Such Scorn of Enemies:” Richard Bentley’s Paradise LostBibliographyIndex