“Savoury Words”: Milton and the Consumption of Manna

Abstract

This article is concerned with the representation of manna as physical and spiritual food in the seventeenth-century literary imagination and, in particular, in the works of Milton. The article argues that manna occupies a peculiar place in early modern writings, being constantly suspended between the metaphor and physicality of eating. The study of manna in the work of Milton and his contemporaries enlightens our understanding of biblical interpretation and reveals the role of this biblical image in the seventeenth-century controversy over prescribed and extempore prayers.