Promiscuous Listening: A John Milton Podcast

In his 1644 Areopagitica, seventeenth-century English polemicist and poet John Milton writes in favor of “the benefit which may be had of books promiscuously read.” Milton advocates “reading all manner of tractats” as part of a thorough education. Learning is a matter of exploring the full range of knowledge, Milton explains. And this trial of good and evil is afforded not only by books but also by art, architecture, music, and “hearing all manner of reason.”

Promiscuous Listening: A John Milton Podcast puts Milton’s theory of knowledge into practice by bringing a diversity of voices in 21st-century Milton studies into “promiscuous convers[ation].” Dr. Marissa Greenberg (The University of New Mexico) talks to experts with various backgrounds and interests about Milton’s Paradise Lost. Each episode covers foundational information, introduces close readings, and shares current research to engage you in in-depth exploration of this moving and influential work of literature.