The Age of Milton and the Scientific Revolution by Angelica Duran

Abstract

MLR, I03.4, 2oo8 I I07 differing expressions of patronage' (p. I53). He goes on to note that these paratexts appeared in all four seventeenth-century editions of the Folio, even after theHer bert brothers had died. Bergeron writes that the dedicatory epistle 'increasingly has vestigial value and relevance', while the address to the readers 'continues to have vitality and pertinence' (p. I54). This arguably exposes theborrowing and exchange of authority that the dedicatory epistle supposedly enacts to be a kind of textual ef fect-one thatexists, appropriately enough, in themind of the reader.Bergeron does acknowledge that the operation of the patronage system can be regarded as a 'noble construction' (p. 2I), but perhaps his studywould have been evenmore successful if ithad interrogated the conventions and rhetorical strategies of the paratexts he ex plores more sceptically at times.None the less, this is a thoughtful and impressively researched book that furthersour understanding of the literariness of earlymodern drama, and the competing authority of authors, patrons, and readers in theperiod. UNIVERSITY OFYORK RICHARDMEEK The Age of Milton and theScientific Revolution. By ANGELICA DURAN. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press. 2006. xii + 349 PP. $58. ISBN 978-o-8207-0386 2. Rather conveniently for the purposes of this study,Milton's lifetime (I608-74) spanned thegreater part of theEnglish Scientific Revolution. By centring her scho larlyaccount of the impact of thenew cosmological theories,developments in mathe matics, and scientificdiscoveries on a single author,Angelica Duran enables the reader to share amore intimateunderstanding of the imprint thatsuch radical changes made onMilton's lifeand work. By citing a wealth of primary materials Duran demon strates howMilton's interests converged with thepreoccupations of his scientifically minded contemporaries. Duran's account offers compelling evidence thatMilton's poetical works not only passively reflect,but actively participate in, the 'advancement of learning'. From theoutset theEnglish Scientific Revolution was widely recognized as being part of a largerculture of educational reform. InformingDuran's argument through out is Milton's own contribution to this area of debate, the relatively neglected prose pamphlet Of Education (firstpublished in I644 and reissued in I673). Its dedication in each case to Samuel Hartlib, a figure closely identifiedwith the Royal Society, togetherwith Milton's recollection of the 'keenest pleasure' with which he himself anticipated 'some new discovery inmathematics' (p. 41), positions the poet abreast of current scientific endeavours. The study is structured around three fundamental aspects of the educational pro cess: teachers, academic subjects, and students. As well as focusing on Paradise Lost, themasterpiece of his poetic maturity, Duran takes account of a selection of Milton's verse both early and late, so that she can chart the evolution of new and progressive approaches to education as they emerged during the course ofMilton's life'swork. Duran demonstrates how, inA Mask, Milton at once provides theBrothers with an opportunity to display theirprowess indialectic, but at the same timewryly exposes its inadequacy as ameans of arriving at the truth: actions speak louder thanwords and reveal that theBrothers do not credit the conclusion reached, viz. that virtue alone is sufficient to protect their sister.Although on occasion the argument seems a little forced-we hear how theLady's partial release from the oppressive story of theOvidian nightingale parallels the plight of 'earlymodern English scientists who were struggling similarly to advance learning beyond thenatural philosophy theyhad inherited' (p. 249)-Duran does offersome telling insights. I Io8 Reviews When approached by Satan indisguise as a 'striplingcherub', Uriel, one of the three model angelic instructors in Milton's epic, approves his pupil's apparent determina tion to rely on first-hand observation rather than thewords of others (III. 700-0I), thereby implicitly endorsing themotto of theRoyal Society (Nullius inverba). The striking similarity between this motto and thenarrator's observation as Eve leaves the astronomy debate, that 'NotWords alone pleas'd her' (VIII. 57), throws an interesting lighton the reasons forher departure at thispoint. Her practical concern to ground scientific theorizing in everyday lifeshows thatEve has no need ofRaphael's lesson, impressed upon Adam inher absence: 'Think onlywhat concerns thee and thybeing' (VIII. I74). 'The Sexual Mathematics of Paradise Lost' supplies some of themost perceptive readings of the book and is a revised...