john milton on regulation of the press
On Tuesday and Thursday of this week, we'll discuss John Milton's Areopagitica
Histories of Writing, Reading, and Publishing
This is the course website for "Histories of Writing, Reading, and Publishing," a course taught by Dr. Williams in Fall 2004 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Links
- Syllabus (PDF)
- Online Discussion Schedule
- Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing
- assignments
- assignments
- "from censorship to copyright"
- pamela
- pamela
- pamela
- pamela
- the dunciad, books 1 and 2
- the business of print
- johnson's "lives of the poets"
4 Comments:
"Areopagitica" Question - Cynthia
Milton makes a strong case for the freedom of speech in the first 19 paragraphs of "Areopagitica." He supports his argument with historical facts from ancient Greece and Rome. As well, he appeals to the Protestant Parliment by referring to the Catholics and how they sensored anything that they didn't agree with. Remember, that with James I of England, the Bible was finally available for disimulation. Considering Milton's strong religious background, can a case be made using examples from "Areopagitica" that he meant freedom of speech for everything, ie. pornography, excessive violence, etc., or did he have a more narrow focus of freedom of speech? Was Milton, rather, lobbying for Parliment to give "control and responsibility" to the printers and authors?
Milton was a very crafty and cagey rhetoritican. He appealed to the Parliment by using biblical examples to appeal to their religious leanings. As well, he appealed to their vanity by comparing them to the ancient legislative bodies of Athens and Rome. I am not sure that this is necessarily a question that can be answered, but I would be interested in knowing how "Areopagitica" was received by Parliment since their documents were private and not for public consumption. Did they think that he was a traitor or literary terrorist because he published "Areopagitica" without a license?
oops...I didn't spell check....dissimulate*
Thomasena's Answers
1. I believe Milton was trying to open doors for the authors, and printers with "Aropagitica". With doing this I think he saw what could come in the future if he did this, more freedom. Pornography, excessive violence and more taboo subjects though not completely supported in the text,are not completely not supported in the text. It is always open to interpertation. One passage that struck me was in 54,"If we regulate printing, therby to rectify manners, we must regulate all recreations and pastimes, all that is delightful to man. No music must be heard, no song be set or sung, but what is grave and Doric." This passage makes me feel he did mean freedom of speech for everything. I believe this piece was meant to push the envolpe for the more progress in the future.
2. This is a great question! I however do not know how to answer it, I hope Dr. Williams can.
brian's answers
i would argue that Milton's religious background strengthens his argument for free press. consider being a member of the minority party when the members of the majority are restricting freedom of the press. this quote doesn't adress violence or pornography, but i think it does adress the subject of unlimited information.
"our faith and knowledge thrives by exercise, as well as our limbs and complexion. 1 Truth is compared in Scripture to a streaming fountain; if her waters flow not in a perpetual progression, they sicken into a muddy pool of conformity and tradition. A man may be a heretic in the truth; and if he believe things only because his pastor says so, or the Assembly so determines, without knowing other reason, though his belief be true, yet the very truth he holds, becomes his heresy."
It seems that Milton is arguing that we are required to seek out information. if we don't we will are building artificial constructs around ourselves. doesn't this argument dictate that a free press is a necessity? a combination of free will coupled with free press?
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