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Durham E-Theses Durham E-Theses 'The guiding hand': the progression of Milton's thought towards Samson Agonistes Van Looy, Mairi H.L. How to cite: Van Looy, Mairi H.L. (1998) 'The guiding hand': the progression of Milton's thought towards Samson Agonistes, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4994/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 'The Guiding Hand': The Progression of Milton's thought towards Samson Agonistes Mairi H. L. Van Looy Doctor of Philosophy University of Durham, Department of English 1998. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the written consent of the audior and information derived from it should be acknowledged. i 3 JAW m 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,' what should prevent one from resting likewise in the belief that his eyesight lies not in his eyes alone, but enough for all purposes in God's leading and providence? Verily...only He looks out for me and provides for me...leading me and leading me forth as with His hand through my whole life...* A Little onward lend thy guiding hand To these dark steps, a little further on; (SA 1-2) Milton. Letter to Leonard Philaris, 1654. As quoted Milton on Himself: Milton's utterances upon himself and his works. Ed., John S. Diekhoff. London: Cohen & West, 1966. ii Abstract This thesis examines the development of Milton's purpose as his vocation of poetic legislator for his times informed the progress of his vision. In seeing Samson Agonistes as the culmination of a process, it illustrates the narrowing focus of Milton's theological prescription for a godly society. Before any other concern, Milton desired man to repair his relationship with God, and urges his readers to achieve this; it may be observed throughout his polemical writing, reaching a pinnacle of clarity and urgency in the 1671 volume, and in Samson Agonistes in particular. From the assumption that unity with God's purpose was the informing principle of his writing, all of his other concerns may be observed in their rightful setting. As the foundation of Milton's political vision was virtue, the inculcation of virtue in his readership was arguably his primary motivation. This thesis addresses certain key works in order to assess the progression of this purpose towards Samson Agonistes: Areopagitica as an exemplar of his early brilliance in prose, and as a commentary on the significance of language as a weapon in the battle for truth; Eikonoklastes as a demonstration of the contemporary use of historical narrative for political ends, and as aesthetic as well as political iconoclasm; and the Second Defence as the nexus of poetry and prose in his career, where he rewrites the truth in order to glorify and defend his nation and himself. His theological beliefs are discussed in the light of their importance to his vocation and vision of the regenerative potential of man. This is shown to be the guiding principle of his prose and the main subject of the final poems. The 1671 volume is examined as the immediate context of Samson Agonistes. The intertextual resonances reveal the concentration of Milton's focus upon the paradise within. Samson Agonistes is examined also within the cultural contexts which Milton reworks in order to isolate the potential of man's spirit. Samson Agonistes is finally examined in the light of Milton's perennial concerns as a prescription for specific action. Firmly rooted in the political and theological debates of his life, it is nonetheless a call to inner revolution for his readership. iii Declaration and Acknowledgements The material in this thesis has not been used in any previous degree, although the ideas contained within it are a progression from previous research. To that end I would like to thank Dr. Richard Maber, Department of Seventeenth- Century Studies, Durham University, Professor Anthony Fletcher, formerly Department of History, Durham University, Dr. Alan Ford, Department of Theology, Durham University, and Mr. David Crane, formerly Department of English, Durham University, for their help and encouragement in my earlier research. Special thanks are owing to Professor J. R. Watson, Department of English, Durham University, for his assistance and advice. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without her prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. The Texts In this thesis I have used the Columbia edition of The Works of John Milton (New York: Columbia University Press, 1931), as I consider it to be as close as possible to the original source. Moreover, the text is not over-burdened with notes, but is left to speak for itself. It is also still the most complete edition of Milton's works. All biblical quotations are taken from the Authorised Version of 1611. All writing conventions are taken from the ML A Handbook, Third Edition, 1988. iv Abbreviations Used SA : Samson Agonistes PR : Paradise Regained PL : Paradise Lost Works The Prose Works of John Milton (New York: Columbia UP, 1931) An Apology &c : An Apology Against a Pamphlet call'd A Modest Confutation of the Animadversions upon the Remonstrant against Smectymnuus Animadversions: Animadversions upon the Remonstrants Defence, Against Smectymnuus De Doctrina: De Doctrina Christiana Divorce: The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce First Defence: Defence of the People of England Against Claudius Anonymous, alias Salmasius his Defence of the King Of Reformation: Of Reformation Touching Church-Discipline in England: And the Causes that hitherto have hindered it. Ready and Easy Way: The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth Second Defence: Second Defence of the People of England Against The Infamous Libel, Entitled. The Cry of the Royal Blood to Heaven, Against the English Parricides Tenure: The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates The Reason of Church-Government: The Reason of Church-Government Urg'd Against Prelaty CO: Critical Quarterly ELH: English Literary History ELR: English Literary Review HLQ: Huntington Library Quarterly JEGP: Journal of English and German Philology MP: Modern Philology MO Milton Quarterly MS: Milton Studies PMLA: Publications of the Modern Language Association PQ: Philological Quarterly QJS: Quarterly Journal of Speech SEL: Studies in English Literature SP: Studies in Philology SR: Sewanee Review TSLL: Texas Studies in Literature and Language UTQ: University of Toronto Quarterly YR: Yale Review Contents Introduction 1 Chapter 1 The service of truth: Areopagitica and Milton's early realisation of his purpose in prose. 36 Chapter 2 History and Iconoclasm: resisting the tyranny of political government and of the literary image. 54 Chapter 3 Polemic for Posterity: Milton's defence of God, Law, Nation, and Self. 79 Chapter 4 From Calvinist to Arminian: Milton's belief in the rational and regenerative potential of mankind. 104 Chapter 5 The 1671 volume: Milton's recapitulation of the paradise within. 127 Chapter 6 Samson Agonistes: Milton's transformation of classical structure, biblical narrative, and exegetical tradition. 144 Chapter 7 Samson Agonistes: Regeneration, restitution, and the repossession of the paradise within. 162 Conclusion 197 Bibliography 199 vi Introduction. Mary Ann Radzinowicz in the Preface to her work, Toward Samson Agonistes, recalls the friends of Truth as they are described in Areopagitica: "some cutting, some squaring the marble, others hewing the cedar" and comments that the workers at this spiritual building site work collaboratively, harmoniously accepting differences, much as Milton scholars should: "each bringing up his thoughts cheerfully and confidently to be placed side by side as contributions toward the building of a varied, symmetrical edifice."1 The idealism of this vision accords well with Milton's own vision for a society where righteous merit would determine office, and each member of the social hierarchy would contribute to the common good to the best of their ability; and as a standard, it encapsulates something of the collaborative efforts of literary criticism. In whatever ways individual critics may have influenced the direction of Milton criticism at a particular time, the overall trajectory of critical response has taken the interpretation of his work to a point of greater interest, perhaps, than at any time in the past. This thesis is rooted in the current critical response to the contribution Milton's polemical writing makes to his final poems, especially I would argue, to the 1671 volume. Radzinowicz claims that Samson Agonistes not only reflects the concerns of the final phase in Milton's life, but also "consistent and overarching principles in his works."2 It is this theory which has guided the layout of this thesis, which seeks not only to understand the earlier works in order to explore more fully the later works, but also to view the prose in the light of the theological awareness which Samson Agonistes imparts. This thesis will show that for Milton, language was a pure instrument of the spirit: its divinely appointed use for the communication of truth, and the divine calling of the vocation which used it, inspired the purpose of his life: thus his exalted view of the role of the poetic legislator rendered the authority of his authorship persuasive and enduring.
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