Super Short Summary

John Milton: Life, Work, and Thought by Gordon Campbell and Thomas N. Corns traces the life of seventeenth-century poet John Milton, detailing his development from a conservative High Church upbringing to a radical Puritan republican. The biography explores his political, poetic, and religious transformation, his advocacy for regicide and republicanism during the English Civil War, and his eventual fall from political grace during the Restoration while also recognizing his enduring literary work, Paradise Lost. The book examines Milton's courage in the face of blindness, loss, and political defeat, reshaping the traditional view of his life and beliefs. The biography discusses historical instances of severe physical punishment.