Maps the literary import of Naples on Milton in the course of his one-month sojourn and beyond. As the first book devoted solely to “Manus,” arguably the most accomplished of Milton’s neo-Latin writings pertaining to his Italian period, it offers a series of fresh interpretations of the poem. It does so by situating it alongside Milton’s seemingly voracious reading of contemporary Italian literature while abroad; by assessing the poem’s academic, religious, topographical, and linguistic contexts; and by analyzing its classical, neo-Latin, Italian, and English intertexts. It also...

Examines the impact of Rome and its vibrant culture upon Milton in the course of his two two-month sojourns in the city in 1638-1639. Focusing on his neo-Latin writings pertaining to that period, it presents new evidence of the academic, literary, and musical contexts surrounding Milton’s proactive integration into seicento Rome. Highlighting Milton’s self-fashioning as one who was hospitably embraced by Catholic Rome, this volume traces his networking with distinguished Italian humanists (upon whom he left no slight an impression). Not least, we read of Milton’s attested presence in...