In his article concerning Milton’s Paradise Lost, Bush contends that the quality and content of the poem revolve around Milton’s vision of life. He states that a number of criticisms of the work do not account for this view, causing their criticisms to ring hollow. Just as the context in which Shakespeare wrote needs to be “revivified,” as Bush puts it, so too must the context and philosophy of Milton be kept in mind when reading the text. As an example, Bush cites Lord David Cecil’s complaint that “Milton was not really a religious poet because he was a philosopher rather than a devotee” (p. 31). Bush intends to resolve that complaint by demonstrating that Milton qualifies as a religious poet in light of his convictions concerning the subject.
Bush begins his arguments by noting that Milton writes from a perspective where good and evil are precisely defined qualities, rendered so by the Christian faith. As unpopular as a belief in absolute truth may be today, Milton clearly believes that humanity can only attain the purest truth and goodness within the context of Christianity. This carries Bush into a discussion of Right reason.
Right reason, in Milton’s view, is not the Calvinist notion of the will of God, tyrannically and arbitrarily imposed upon humans, but rather, God acts in accordance with right reason because it represents what is just and good. To clarify, Bush explains that “the spirit of man and the revealed word of God together proclaim unshakable absolutes which God Himself, if He could be imagined as having the desire, could not change” (p. 40). According to this belief, Bush argues, Milton writes as a religious poet, as well as a philosopher.
To conclude, Bush discusses the pervasive presence of pride as a causative factor in the downfall of mankind. He notes that throughout Paradise Lost, Milton returns to the theme of the destructive nature of pride, and he mentions the many warnings against its excesses. In his summation, Bush defends his original dismissal of many criticisms by pointing out that they stem from a misunderstanding of an author to whom “good and evil are distinct realities” (p. 57) which reside in a world created with a divine order, and that humanity constantly struggles to overcome pride within the world, in accordance with this order.
Synopsis of Bush Article
In his article concerning Milton’s Paradise Lost, Bush contends that the quality and content of the poem revolve around Milton’s vision of life. He states that a number of criticisms of the work do not account for this view, causing their criticisms to ring hollow. Just as the context in which Shakespeare wrote needs to be “revivified,” as Bush puts it, so too must the context and philosophy of Milton be kept in mind when reading the text. As an example, Bush cites Lord David Cecil’s complaint that “Milton was not really a religious poet because he was a philosopher rather than a devotee” (p. 31). Bush intends to resolve that complaint by demonstrating that Milton qualifies as a religious poet in light of his convictions concerning the subject.
Bush begins his arguments by noting that Milton writes from a perspective where good and evil are precisely defined qualities, rendered so by the Christian faith. As unpopular as a belief in absolute truth may be today, Milton clearly believes that humanity can only attain the purest truth and goodness within the context of Christianity. This carries Bush into a discussion of Right reason.
Right reason, in Milton’s view, is not the Calvinist notion of the will of God, tyrannically and arbitrarily imposed upon humans, but rather, God acts in accordance with right reason because it represents what is just and good. To clarify, Bush explains that “the spirit of man and the revealed word of God together proclaim unshakable absolutes which God Himself, if He could be imagined as having the desire, could not change” (p. 40). According to this belief, Bush argues, Milton writes as a religious poet, as well as a philosopher.
To conclude, Bush discusses the pervasive presence of pride as a causative factor in the downfall of mankind. He notes that throughout Paradise Lost, Milton returns to the theme of the destructive nature of pride, and he mentions the many warnings against its excesses. In his summation, Bush defends his original dismissal of many criticisms by pointing out that they stem from a misunderstanding of an author to whom “good and evil are distinct realities” (p. 57) which reside in a world created with a divine order, and that humanity constantly struggles to overcome pride within the world, in accordance with this order.
Synopsis of Bush Article
In his article concerning Milton’s Paradise Lost, Bush contends that the quality and content of the poem revolve around Milton’s vision of life. He states that a number of criticisms of the work do not account for this view, causing their criticisms to ring hollow. Just as the context in which Shakespeare wrote needs to be “revivified,” as Bush puts it, so too must the context and philosophy of Milton be kept in mind when reading the text. As an example, Bush cites Lord David Cecil’s complaint that “Milton was not really a religious poet because he was a philosopher rather than a devotee” (p. 31). Bush intends to resolve that complaint by demonstrating that Milton qualifies as a religious poet in light of his convictions concerning the subject.
Bush begins his arguments by noting that Milton writes from a perspective where good and evil are precisely defined qualities, rendered so by the Christian faith. As unpopular as a belief in absolute truth may be today, Milton clearly believes that humanity can only attain the purest truth and goodness within the context of Christianity. This carries Bush into a discussion of Right reason.
Right reason, in Milton’s view, is not the Calvinist notion of the will of God, tyrannically and arbitrarily imposed upon humans, but rather, God acts in accordance with right reason because it represents what is just and good. To clarify, Bush explains that “the spirit of man and the revealed word of God together proclaim unshakable absolutes which God Himself, if He could be imagined as having the desire, could not change” (p. 40). According to this belief, Bush argues, Milton writes as a religious poet, as well as a philosopher.
To conclude, Bush discusses the pervasive presence of pride as a causative factor in the downfall of mankind. He notes that throughout Paradise Lost, Milton returns to the theme of the destructive nature of pride, and he mentions the many warnings against its excesses. In his summation, Bush defends his original dismissal of many criticisms by pointing out that they stem from a misunderstanding of an author to whom “good and evil are distinct realities” (p. 57) which reside in a world created with a divine order, and that humanity constantly struggles to overcome pride within the world, in accordance with this order.