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CATECHIZED BY PARADISE LOST
- Date Issued:
- 2019
- Summary:
- This work proposes to demonstrate how John Milton’s epic English poem Paradise Lost, a product of the contentious religious climate leading up to and surrounding its production, operates as a Christian catechism, or manual of belief. Spurred by the Protestant Reformation, the production of catechisms by Catholics and Protestants burgeoned during the century leading up to the composition of Paradise Lost. Catechisms structured as dialogues containing questions and answers were especially popular during that time, and the several dialogues that exist within Paradise Lost serve as dialogue catechisms, which closely mirror the content and language of contemporaneous Reformed catechisms. Within the poem, implied readers are represented by characters, who elicit and provide lessons for real readers of the text. In this way, Paradise Lost catechizes its audience through dramatic dialogues, which introduce popular topics of theological inquiry and present answers the poem would have the reader accept, bringing the reader to a “proper” understanding of Christian faith through active and responsive reading.
Title: | CATECHIZED BY PARADISE LOST. |
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Name(s): |
Zito, Charles, author Leeds, John, Thesis advisor Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor Department of English Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters |
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Type of Resource: | text | |
Genre: | Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation | |
Date Created: | 2019 | |
Date Issued: | 2019 | |
Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
Place of Publication: | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
Physical Form: | application/pdf | |
Extent: | 80 p. | |
Language(s): | English | |
Summary: | This work proposes to demonstrate how John Milton’s epic English poem Paradise Lost, a product of the contentious religious climate leading up to and surrounding its production, operates as a Christian catechism, or manual of belief. Spurred by the Protestant Reformation, the production of catechisms by Catholics and Protestants burgeoned during the century leading up to the composition of Paradise Lost. Catechisms structured as dialogues containing questions and answers were especially popular during that time, and the several dialogues that exist within Paradise Lost serve as dialogue catechisms, which closely mirror the content and language of contemporaneous Reformed catechisms. Within the poem, implied readers are represented by characters, who elicit and provide lessons for real readers of the text. In this way, Paradise Lost catechizes its audience through dramatic dialogues, which introduce popular topics of theological inquiry and present answers the poem would have the reader accept, bringing the reader to a “proper” understanding of Christian faith through active and responsive reading. | |
Identifier: | FA00013432 (IID) | |
Degree granted: | Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. | |
Collection: | FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection | |
Note(s): | Includes bibliography. | |
Subject(s): |
Catechisms Milton, John, 1608-1674 Paradise lost--Criticism and interpretation |
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Held by: | Florida Atlantic University Libraries | |
Sublocation: | Digital Library | |
Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013432 | |
Use and Reproduction: | Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder. | |
Use and Reproduction: | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | |
Host Institution: | FAU | |
Is Part of Series: | Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections. |