8. Areopagitica

Milton (ENGL 220)

Milton's political tract Areopagitica is discussed at length. The author's complicated take on state censorship and licensing, both practiced by the English government with respect to printed materials at the time, is examined. His eclectic use of pagan mythology, Christian scripture, and the metaphors of eating and digestion in defense of his position are probed. Lastly, Milton's insistence that moral truths must be examined and tested in order for goodness to be known is explored as an early manifestation of the rhetoric that will be used to depict the Fall in Paradise Lost.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction: Areopagitica and the English Revolution
05:49 - Chapter 2. Parliamentary Factions During the English Revolution
10:28 - Chapter 3. "Areopagitica": Freedom of the Press, Censorship and Licensing
24:35 - Chapter 4. Milton's Narrative of the History of Truth

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2007.