John Milton

A Symposium to Commemorate the Quartercentenary of his Birth
Saturday 6 December 2008
Convenors: Professor Paul Hammond FBA (University of Leeds) and
Professor Blair Worden FBA (Royal Holloway, London)

This conference marks the quatercentenary of the birth of John Milton on 9 December 1608, which is an anniversary of special significance and worthy of commemoration by the Academy. Milton’s standing is unparalleled in English culture: as the greatest English poet after Shakespeare, as an important political, moral, and theological contributor to the intellectual debates of the Civil War and Commonwealth, and as a far-reaching influence on the poetry and political thought of subsequent generations. This one-day conference takes stock of various aspects of his rich and diverse legacy, but aims specifically to do this in a way which will appeal to a broad audience of those who are interested in our literary and political heritage. The speakers will provide half-hour papers which will seek to present aspects of Milton’s work which will be of interest to both specialists and non-specialists.