Noam Reisner - Böcker

Milton and the Ineffable offers a comprehensive reassessment of Milton's poetic oeuvre in light of the literary and conceptual problem posed by the poet's attempt to put into words that which is unsayable and beyond representation. The struggle with the ineffability of sacred or transcendental subject matter in many ways defines Milton's triumphs as a poet, especially in Paradise Lost, and goes to the heart of the central critical debates to engage his readers over the centuries and decades. Taking an interdisciplinary conceptual approach, this study sheds fresh light on many of these debates by situating his poetics of ineffability in the context of the intellectual cross-currents of Renaissance humanism and Protestant theology. The book plots an ongoing narrative in Milton's poetry about silence and ineffable mystery which forms the intellectual framework within which Milton continually shapes and reshapes his poetic vision of the created universe and the elect man's singular place within it. From the free paraphrase of Psalm 114 to Paradise Regained, the presence of the ineffable insinuates itself into Milton's poetry as both the catalyst and check for his poetic creativity, where the fear of silence and ineffable mystery on the one hand, and the yearning to lose himself and his readers in unspeakable rapture on the other, becomes a struggle for poetic self-determination and finally redemption.

Noam Reisner leads readers through the complexities of Milton's celebrated and challenging narrative poem as well as introducing them to the key critical views. The guide combines an introduction to the poem's main thematic and stylistic concerns together with discussion of important selected passages (substantial extracts from the text are included) and provides readers with a basic set of critical tools with which to interpret the text.Key Features * Detailed discussion of select passages from the poem divided into three interrelated sections - 'concepts and themes', 'style and form' and 'historical-political context' -for easy reference * Provides a general guide to teaching the text - first time teachers will find many suggestions for teaching as well as templates for teaching the poem in different course formats.* Up-to-date annotated bibliography