Table of Contents

1. Controversial merriment; 2. Milton reads Spenser's May Eclogue; 3. Satan and the demonic conclave; 4. Milton's den of error; 5. The paradise of fools; 6. Laughter in heaven; 7. Miltonic transubstantiation; 8. Idolatry in Eden; 9. Images of both churches; Conclusion; Appendix: Transcriptions from satirical broadsheets.

Promotional Information

A study of Milton's epic in the context of religious debate and visual satire, first published in 2000.

Reviews

'King has recovered for our time a style of reading and a religio-historical context that enrich our understanding of Paradise Lost. Essential reading for Milton scholars, this book will attract and hold the interest of historians of genre, of intellectual historians, and of historians of religion. It will be useful not only for its argument, but as a reference work on religious abuse, satire and polemic.' Stephen Fallon, University of Notre Dame