limits of moralizing, The
Book Description
David Mikics challenges conventional approaches to understanding how moral purpose and emotional depth intersect in literary works, particularly examining the epic poetry of Edmund Spenser and John Milton. Rather than viewing these Renaissance masters as either pure aesthetes indulging in emotion or rigid moralists subordinating feeling to social duty, Mikics reveals a more nuanced relationship between personal passion and ethical instruction.
This scholarly exploration demonstrates how the Reformation's emphasis on moral teaching created unique pressures for poets seeking to merge subjective experience with public responsibility. Mikics argues that both Spenser and Milton attempted to develop a form of literary expression that would honor both individual emotional truth and collective moral standards, creating what he terms an "innovative literary subjectivity."
The study resists simplistic interpretations that either celebrate poetic individualism or reduce literature to mere social conditioning. Instead, it uncovers the productive tension between personal feeling and moral discourse, showing how this creative struggle shaped some of English literature's most enduring works.
For readers interested in the intersection of spirituality, ethics, and creative expression, this analysis offers insights into how artists navigate the complex relationship between inner truth and outer responsibility. Mikics reveals that the apparent conflict between emotional authenticity and moral purpose may actually generate the most profound forms of artistic and spiritual expression.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)
📄 Length: 271 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore History and criticism
- ✓ Explore Spenser, edmund, 1552?-1599
- ✓ Explore Morale
- ✓ Explore English poetry
- ✓ Understand spiritual ethics
- ✓ Explore Subjectivity in literature
- ✓ Explore Ethics
- ✓ Explore Pathos
