Despite writing about himself extensively and repeatedly, John
Milton, the archetypal Puritan author, resolutely avoids the
obligatory Augustinian narrative of sinfulness, conviction of sin,
reception of the Word, regeneration of the spirit, and
sanctification. The doctrine of fall, grace, and regeneration, so
well illustrated in Paradise Lost, has no discernible effect on
Milton's overt self-representations. Exploring this anomaly in his
new book, Stephen M. Fallon contends that Milton, despite his deep
engagement with theology, is not a religious writer. Why, Fallon
asks, does Milton write about himself so compulsively? Why does he
substitute, for the otherwise universal theological script, a story
of precocious and continued virtue, even, it seems, a narrative of
sinlessness? What pressures does this decision to reject the
standard narrative exert on his work? In Milton's Peculiar Grace,
Fallon argues that Milton writes about himself to gain immortality,
secure authority for his arguments, and exert control over his
readers' interpretations. He traces the return of the repressed
narrative of fallenness in the author's unacknowledged and
displaced self-representations, which in turn account for much of
the power of the late poems. Fallon's book, based on close readings
of Milton's "self-constructions" in prose and poetry throughout his
career, provides a new view of Milton's life and his importance for
contemporary literary theory-in particular for continued questions
about authorial intention. To listen to a radio interview with
Stephen Fallon discussing Milton's enduring significance, on the
Australian Broadcasting Company's "Late Night Live," click here.
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