Milton's Languages: The Impact of Multilingualism on Style

Milton's poetry is one of the glories of the English language, and yet it owes everything to Milton's widespread knowledge of other languages: he knew ten and wrote in four. In Milton's Languages, John K. Hale examines Milton's language-related arts, giving all relevant texts in the original and in translation, and then traces the impact of Milton's multilingualism on his major English poems. Hale argues convincingly that only by understanding Milton's choice among languages can we grasp where Milton's own unique--and highly influential--form of English originated.