Renaissance Ecology: Imagining Eden in Milton's England

The 17th century saw the beginnings of industrialization in England and also some of the finest English Renaissance literature and art. It also was a time of air pollution from the burning of coal and an increase in overcrowding in the cities. Hiltner (English, U. of California, Santa Barbara) and several contributors look at Milton's Paradise Lost from a green standpoint. Was Milton's view of Eden affected by the ecological perils he saw in England? How did he and other writers of his time envision Eden? Hiltner believes that Milton's description of the garden shows both a nostalgia for a pristine past and a guide for change to recapture that idyllic state of nature. Other essays investigate the green tendencies of religious writers such as George Fox and Henry Vaughn and nature in the writing of Anne Bradstreet. Following on the study of Milton, some authors look at the reflection of his work in art. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ken Hiltner is assistant professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is also the author of Milton and Ecology.