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This paper aims to explore the possibility of finding utopian tracts in Milton’s representation of Hell in Paradise Lost. First, I propose a brief analysis of the Scientific Revolution’s influence upon Milton’s utopic imaginary and its... more
This paper aims to explore the possibility of finding utopian
tracts in Milton’s representation of Hell in Paradise Lost. First, I propose a brief
analysis of the Scientific Revolution’s influence upon Milton’s utopic imaginary and its relation to the idea of a multiplicity and alterity of worlds, subsequently examining his appropriation of the utopic genre, including Thomas
More’s Utopia. Next, I focus on certain elements that characterize the Hell in
Paradise Lost as a tragic utopia: among the devils, in fact, civic values such as
social harmony and a republican order exist. I suggest that Milton creates this
paradoxical representation of Hell in order to effect a polemic comparison between human and infernal societies.
tracts in Milton’s representation of Hell in Paradise Lost. First, I propose a brief
analysis of the Scientific Revolution’s influence upon Milton’s utopic imaginary and its relation to the idea of a multiplicity and alterity of worlds, subsequently examining his appropriation of the utopic genre, including Thomas
More’s Utopia. Next, I focus on certain elements that characterize the Hell in
Paradise Lost as a tragic utopia: among the devils, in fact, civic values such as
social harmony and a republican order exist. I suggest that Milton creates this
paradoxical representation of Hell in order to effect a polemic comparison between human and infernal societies.
