Milton's "Lycidas": Tradition and the Poem
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Author Description
"Lycidas" is a poem by John Milton, written in 1637 as a pastoral elegy. It first appeared in a 1638 collection of elegies, entitled Justa Edouardo King Naufrago, dedicated to the memory of Edward King, friend of Milton's at Cambridge who drowned when his ship sank in the Irish Sea off the coast of Wales in August 1637. The poem is 193 lines in length, and is irregularly rhymed. While many of the other poems in the compilation are in Greek and Latin, "Lycidas" is one of the poems written in English. John Carey is emeritus Merton Professor of English Literature at the Universityof Oxford, and is acknowledged as one of the world's leading Miltonists. He has written extensively on Milton's life and poetry and translated his treatise 'On Christian Doctrine' for the Yale "Complete Prose Works of John Milton
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This volume investigates the complex interplay between classical pastoral tradition and John Milton's innovative structural and thematic departures in his elegy, "Lycidas." Edited by C.A. Patrides, the collection gathers scholarly essays that examine the poem's historical context, its relationship to the Edward King memorial collection, and its significance within the broader canon of 17th-century English verse. The contributors utilize historical, theological, and formalist frameworks to argue that "Lycidas" serves as a pivotal point where traditional elegiac conventions are both honored and subverted.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Historical analysis of the 1638 "Justa Edouardo King Naufrago" collection
- Formalist examination of Milton's irregular rhyme schemes and pastoral imagery
- Theological and biographical context regarding Edward King and Milton's Cambridge years
- Comparative studies of Milton's work against classical Greek and Latin elegiac models
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive biography of John Milton beyond his immediate connection to the poem
- It does not offer a line-by-line linguistic translation of the Greek and Latin poems included in the original 1638 collection
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and students of Milton frequently cite this collection as a foundational resource for understanding the formal complexities of "Lycidas." Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which assumes a high level of familiarity with 17th-century literary conventions and classical allusions.
Page Count:
256
Publication Date:
1961-01-01
ISBN-10:
0030106257
ISBN-13:
9780030106255
Literature & Fiction
Poetry Analysis
Literary Criticism
Academic
Human Resources
Renaissance Studies
English literature