For the first time in an approachable, affordable volume this study treats the whole literary career of England's most distinguished protestant-republican poet and writer, considering the miscellaneous output in the light of contexts and political functions. It highlights self-presentational and persuasive characteristics, pays attention to the sense of vocation and also describes Milton's distinctive achievement in social genres. Milton's competitive humanist training is seen to accomodate uneasily to the specific demands of some public works. The book features unfamiliar texts, whilst canonical texts are set in the story of his long endeavours during a turbulent period in English history.

In this series, a contemporary poet selects and introduces a poet of the past. By their choice of poems and by the personal and critical reactions they express in their prefaces, the editors offer insights into their own work as well as providing an accessible and passionate introduction to the most important poets in our literature. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was born in Dublin, of English parents, and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. London-based for many years, and a noted satirist during the reign of Queen Anne, he returned to Dublin in 1713 as Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Gulliver's Travels appeared in 1726. Derek Mahon was born in Belfast in 1941, studied at Trinity College, Dublin, and has held journalistic and academic appointments in London and New York. He has received numerous awards including a Lannan Award and the Scot Moncrieff Translation Prize. His Collected Poems was published in 1999.