Milton's Languages

ISBN-13: 9780521583534 / Angielski / Twarda / 1997 / 264 str.

John K. Hale

Opis

Milton's poetry is one of the glories of the English language, and yet it owes everything to Milton's widespread knowledge of other languages: he knew ten and wrote in four. In Milton's Languages, John K. Hale examines Milton's language-related arts, giving all relevant texts in the original and in translation, and then traces the impact of Milton's multilingualism on his major English poems. Hale argues convincingly that only by understanding Milton's choice among languages can we grasp where Milton's own unique--and highly influential--form of English originated.

Recenzje

"This is then a thoughtful, learned, and judicious book, carefully argued and supported by a wealth of convincing detail. It is refreshingly free from jargon...There is a very useful index of Milton passage sited. This book can be warmly recommended to all students of Milton." Modern Philology

Spis treści

Introduction: Milton's languages in the context of Renaissance multilingualism; Part I. Milton's Exercising of his Languages: 1. The multilingual self presented in Milton's poems (1645); 2. The development and quality of Milton's multilingual verse; 3. The Italian journey (1638–9) and language-choice; 4. Milton's arts of language: translating and philology; 5. Milton's Latin prose; Conclusion; Part II. Multilingualism and the Major English Poems: 6. Latin and Milton's other languages in the style of Paradise Lost; 7. Milton's languages and the voices of Paradise Lost; 8. Multilingualism and epic; 9. Multilingualism and the style of temperance in Paradise Regained; 10. Hebrew meets Greek in Samson Agonistes; 11. The impact of Milton's languages upon his mature English verse styles; Appendix: on translating Milton's Latin; Bibliography.