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  • Milton's Peculiar Grace: Self-Representation and Authority
  • Margaret J. Arnold
Stephen M. Fallon . Milton's Peculiar Grace: Self-Representation and Authority. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2007. xx + 274 pp. index. $49.95. ISBN: 978–0–0814- 4516–3.

Fallon draws attention to God's "Some I have chosen of peculiar grace" (Paradise Lost 3.185–86) in order to examine Milton's self-representation in an amazingly comprehensive sequence of works from 1633 through 1673. He emphasizes the anomaly of Milton's frequent self-presentation as a special person, "oblivious to the effects of the fall in himself, or at least representations of him-self" in an era characterized by numerous confessional conversion narratives (x). After a thoughtful explanation of recent critical controversies defining self-representation, authorship, and intentionality, Fallon proceeds chronologically [End Page 1490] through Milton's works, reading closely to suggest that "while Milton is a theological poet, he is not a religious poet" (x). Within Milton's works, he suggests that the divorce tracts, the experience of blindness, and the discomforts of the Restoration years increasingly represent a "profoundly divided character" (270) as Milton reveals himself to his audience.

Fallon uses the term self-representation to "denote writing in which the author provides, or appears to provide, an image of himself outside of, and prior to, the text" (2). Hence, the author's direct descriptions of himself, his assimilation of conventional literary roles, and his unintentional revelations (especially in complex, awkward structures) all contribute to the term.

Between the introductory chapters and an examination of early poetry, Fallon uses Milton's 1633 letter, probably to his tutor, Thomas Young, to introduce such issues as belatedness and vocation. This transitional section also introduces a discussion of the Augustinian confessional tradition and its relationship to the works of Milton's contemporaries. Instead of a confessional model, Fallon argues, Milton prefers the Aristotelian and Ciceronian "ethical proof" in which the speaker demonstrates a "justified pride in personal abilities and accomplishments" (38).

Writing of Milton's works before 1645, Fallon traces intimations of later achievements, for instance, his hope to become a divinely inspired epic poet. He also sees Milton's self-portrayal as "proleptic," looking so intently on future prospects that the present moment is obscured. Throughout this section Fallon pays good attention to detail and to the contributions of other readers.

Three chapters and an interlude on Interregnum poetry develop Milton's self-representation against the prelates, his "self-concerned" tracts regarding divorce and its aftermath, and his performances defending Parliamentary leaders and himself before the Restoration. Noting, in general, that polemical prose narrowed Milton's opportunities to write about himself, Fallon nevertheless finds the prophetic aspirations and the modest pride of the early poetry extending into the anti-prelatical tracts. Fallon consistently emphasizes the dangers implicit in prophetic claims: without inspiration, one is presumptuous and arrogant.

Turning to the divorce tracts, Fallon again notes Milton's laudatory presentations of himself as an advocate of the common good, prophetic rescuer of God's word and law in a family, and heroic champion of an unpopular position. Two major self portrayals emerge: Milton is an advocate of divine mercy for unsuitable marriages but is also a perplexed young man fearing alienation from God. Thus the divorce tracts admit human weakness, a quality new to Milton's early self-representations.

In both Of Education and Areopagitica, Milton characterizes himself as both self-interested and heroic. The teacher must act as hero and lead a whole nation. The defender of the press sees his role as personal and also national, a prophetic voice calling God's people to complete the Reformation.

The section on Interregnum sonnets forms an impressive and well-analyzed sequence. Several demonstrate Milton's awareness of fallibility and the nearness of dangers. In particular, the passive husband of "Methought I saw" reveals [End Page 1491] his vulnerability and portrays his grief as a private man. Turning to Milton's Interregnum prose, Fallon traces the poet's movement from a relatively impersonal style in which he defends Cromwell's party to the lonely prophetic cry of The Readie and Easie Way shortly before the Restoration. While Milton...

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