John Milton was an English writer born on December 9, 1608. As a child and young adult, Milton was an avid reader and traveled often, which played a great role in shaping his beliefs and political ideologies. He is known for capitalizing on the political conflict of his time and creating brilliant works of social commentary as a response. One such work is Paradise Lost (1667), his most well-known epic poem.
The Sonnets of John Milton is a collection of Milton’s work that scholars deemed culturally-defining. The book begins with a preface explaining the artistic makeup of a sonnet and what makes it so pleasing to the human ear. The preface is followed by a slew of original documents and hand-written drafts from Milton himself, so many of the pieces are difficult to read or illegible. However, many scholars believed that Milton’s work is so significant that even the bits and pieces of his unpublished works should be released to the public.
John Milton was an iconic poet in his day and his poems are still revered to this day. Milton’s passion for literature is palpable in every sonnet and poem he writes. He was praised by writers such as William Wordsworth and Thomas Hardy, and continues to be a source of inspiration of aspiring writers today.
