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John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, prosepolemicist, and civil servant for the English Commonwealth. He is best known for his epic poemParadise Lost, and for his treatise condemning censorship, Areopagitica.

Praise and criticism

"Long considered the supreme English poet, Milton experienced a dip in popularity after attacks by T.S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis in the mid 20th century; but with multiple societies and scholarly journals devoted to his study, Milton’s reputation remains as strong as ever in the 21st century." --Sholem Stein

Artistic licence and polemic may overshadow Milton's personal views, and assessments of Milton have always varied greatly. After his death, Milton became the subject of partisan biographies, such as those by Edward Phillips and John Toland, and a hostile account by Anthony à Wood. Samuel Johnson described him as "an acrimonious and surly republican"; but William Hayley's 1796 biography called him the "greatest English author", at a time when his reputation was particularly in play.

T. S. Eliot believed that

"of no other poet is it so difficult to consider the poetry simply as poetry, without our theological and political dispositions... making unlawful entry".

His radical, republican politics and heretical religious views, coupled with the perceived artificiality of his complicated Latinate verse, alienated Eliot.

Religious and political flux in 17th century England

Milton was writing at a time of religious and political flux in England. His poetry and prose reflect deep convictions, often reacting to contemporary circumstances, but it is not always easy to locate the writer in an obvious religious category. His views may be described as broadly Protestant, and he was an accomplished, scholarly man of letters, polemical writer, and an official in the government of Oliver Cromwell.

Poetic and dramatic works

Political, philosophical and religious prose

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