Description: John Milton is mostly known for writing one of the greatest epics in English, Paradise Lost, but his shorter poems and treatises also contributed greatly to the political and religious conversations of the seventeenth century. The sphere of Milton’s influence was not limited to his time period, but also shaped later periods, including the Romantics, who were fascinated with what they deemed a sympathetic portrayal of Satan.

The panel on Milton at the RMMLA Conference 2024 seeks research investigating Milton’s influences on not only his contemporary society, but the ways that he also affected later literary thought and culture. Of particular interest are papers that explore the way Milton’s writings address nuanced ideas on religion, politics, divorce, and education, as well as reading him comparatively with female writers, such as Aemilia Lanyer, Margaret Cavendish, Aphra Behn, Mary Shelley, Christina Rosettie, and Virginia Woolf.

Submissions from Ph.D. candidates and early career scholars are especially encouraged. 

The Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association (RMMLA) is a non-profit membership organization, established in 1947, that promotes the study and teaching of language, literature, and culture. The Secretariat and Directorate of the RMMLA is hosted by the University of Wyoming and maintains The Rocky Mountain Review, a scholarly journal included in the JSTOR project and ProjectMUSE at Johns Hopkins University.

Please direct your brief abstract (less than 250 words) and/or any questions to Jennifer Topale at Jennifer.topale@du.edu. Abstracts are due by 1 April 2024.

Further information about the RMMLA can be found at: https://www.rmmla.org/