Milton in the Long Restoration

Date
Fri April 25th 2014, 9:00am - 7:00pm
Event Sponsor
Gene J. and Betye Monell Burton Fund in the Stanford Arts Institute, the Stanford Humanities Center, the Dean of Humanities, the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, departments of English and History, the Center for Medieval and Early Modern
Location
Stanford Humanities Center, 424 Santa Teresa Street

This two-day conference will bring together literary critics, historians, and musicologists to reconsider the coherence of the historical period from the execution of Charles I in 1649 to the Jacobite defeat in 1746, emphasizing the centrality of Milton throughout.

Milton in the Long Restoration will test the power of three propositions: (1) that the years from 1649 to 1746 form a distinct and coherent period that deserves to be defined as a Long Restoration; (2) that we cannot rightly interpret Milton’s late prose and poetry in isolation from authors–such as Denham, Davenant, and Dryden–who are more often yoked into historical narratives that exclude Milton; and (3) that although the Romantics may be true heirs of Milton, they are not his first true heirs: we ignore the record of Milton’s early reception and appropriation at our peril, for these early readers of Milton have left a remarkably rich record of imaginative response, puzzlement, and contestation.

The conference will feature a public performance of Milton’s Comus (as performed at the Theatres Royal in Drury Lane and Covent-Garden)—at 12:30 pm on Saturday, April 26, in Toyon Hall at 455 Arguello Way.

Event Link