Milton and the Culture of Violence / / Michael Lieb.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Cornell University Press Archive Pre-2000
• VerfasserIn: Lieb, Michael,
• Place / Publishing House: Ithaca, NY : : Cornell University Press, , [2019]; ©1994
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (288 p.)

In this powerful work of criticism, Lieb explores the culture of violence—shaped by myth as well as historical circumstance—that colors Milton's outlook and permeates his art. In Lieb's view, a central image in Milton's writings is the specter of sparagmos, or bodily mutilation and dismemberment. Tracing this image across Milton's entire career, Lieb offers authoritative new readings of Areopagitica, A Mask, Lycidas, Samson Agonistes, and Paradise Lost, as well as of lesser-known works.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Notes on Sources -- Introduction: The Poetics of Violence -- Part I. RENDING THE BODY -- 1. The Slaughter of the Saints -- 2. The Fate of the Poet -- 3. The Dismemberment of Orpheus -- Part II. GENDERING THE BODY -- 4. The Pursuit of the Lady -- 5. The Court of Belial -- 6. The Exposure of the Matron -- Part III. STAGING THE BODY -- 7. The Theater of Assault -- 8. The Repristination of the Self -- 9. The Humiliation of Priapus -- Conclusion: The Politics of Violence -- Index