Data Life Cycle Event(s) Type: Exhibition Label: John Milton and the Cultures of Print: An Exhibition of Books, Manuscripts, and Other Artifacts Date: 2011-02-03 Detail: February 3 through May 31, 2011. Special Collections and University Archives Gallery, Lower Level, Archibald Stevens Alexander Library. Curator: Fernanda Perrone (Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries)
Curator: Thomas Fulton (Department of English, Rutgers University)
Funder: New Jersey Council for the Humanities Name: John Milton and the Cultures of Print: An Exhibition of Books, Manuscripts, and Other Artifacts
Additional Detail(s)
Type: Exhibition catalog
Name: John Milton and the Cultures of Print: An Exhibition of Books, Manuscripts, and Other Artifacts
Detail: Published by Rutgers University Libraries in conjunction with the exhibition opening.
Additional Detail(s)
Type: Exhibition section
Name: V. The Divorce Tracts
Detail: THE DIVORCE TRACTS: During the civil war period Milton wrote over twenty pamphlets in defense of "three varieties of liberty," as he put it in 1654: "ecclesiastical liberty, domestic or personal liberty, and civil liberty." The five pamphlets on "domestic liberty" -- his so-called divorce tracts -- boldly argued for the liberty to choose a spouse and to choose again if that choice proved in error. His views were called "licentious, new and dangerous," and he was the subject of a Parliamentary inquiry. Contemporaries wanted the books suppressed, which may have contributed to his commitment to the freedom of the press.
Additional Detail(s)
Type: Exhibition caption
Name: Milton, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce (1643)
Detail: It is often thought that difficulties in his first marriage to Mary Powell precipitated his writings on divorce, and biography may have played a role. But it is clear by his notes in the Commonplace Book that he was interested in the rules around marriage and divorce much earlier. Recent research has also shown that Milton's several divorce tracts are also in dialogue with current debates, and particularly the Westminster Assembly's efforts to reform the institution of marriage. These reveal Milton to be contributing to a national discussion much more than has been previously understood.
CollectionRutgers University Libraries Special Collections General Resources
Organization NameRutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections
RightsThis object may be copyright protected. You may make use of this resource under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Unported license (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). For any use not specifically declared under this license, please contact the rights holder for permission for further use.