Thomas N. Corns, The Milton Encyclopedia

Abstract

The Milton Encyclopedia, edited by Thomas N. Corns, New Haven & London, Yale University Press, 2012, xiv+ 406 pp.,£100.00/$150.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-300-09444-2Given that over thirty years have passed since William B. Hunter 's multi-volume A Milton Encyclopedia, this latest reference work covering the life, work and critical after-life of John Milton is long overdue. Thomas Corns and his team have approached not only a complex individual but a technically demanding remit. The editor 's Preface openly admits that this is 'the most ambitious reference work in this field for a generation', and a self-imposed rubric that aimed to create a work designed for 'the general reader, the student, and the scholar alike' (p. xi) attests to this. Given that this work aims to appeal to such a broad cross-section of Milton's readership it is testament to the quality of the scholarship and its expression within the volume that it manages almost entirely to fulfil this remit with both flair and aplomb. Indeed, it will undoubtedly replace Hunter 's work as the standard point of reference for many, if not all, readers.In the attempt to cover such a broad scope, the volume relies upon a succession of short - often pithy and eminently economical - entries covering areas of Milton studies as diverse as the towns visited on his European tour of 1638/9, the authors he influenced, and the significant cultural and historical events which shaped the world within which Milton lived. Those entries of greater significance tend to be structured so as to give strict factual descriptions of the given term followed by a precise note on how the entry impacts upon the study of Milton. Therefore, whilst some entries (such as those on allusions, elegy, epic and rhetoric) would be of use as excellent definitions of the terms in question for general readers, or students unfamiliar with essential scholarly vocabulary, studying poetry in any form, this structural device ensures that even in the seemingly most tangential of entries Milton remains a constant and central figure. Indeed, the masterful manner by which this volume negotiates its remit is most prominent in the series of entries on Milton's sonnets, prose works and those describing the various books of the bible. Clearly, brief introduc- tory notes such as these are not aimed at the dedicated scholar - but both general readers and students would struggle to find more concise, accurate and vital information pre- sented in such an eminently approachable style. Indeed, this encyclopedia can be considered an invaluable point of entry when first encountering any of Milton's works. In a similar fashion, students often, when first acquainting themselves with Milton, struggle with the lexicon of the Church and the vocabulary of scholars discussing the intricate web of religious images and ideas within Milton's works; and this volume again offers a breadth of entries which clearly express even the most complex of theological concerns succinctly.Whilst the vast majority of the entries fall into this category of brief, yet pertinent, sources of information, the encyclopedia also offers a variety of extended articles - border- ing on miniature essays - describing some of the most significant topics within the field (and indeed some of the more neglected ones). …