London, 1802

There are two important literary contexts relevant to “London, 1802”: the figure of John Milton and what he represents in the English literary tradition, and the cultural and political ideals of Romanticism as a movement.

John Milton (1608-1674) was a towering figure in the world of English letters both during his own lifetime and posthumously. As an outspoken republican thinker, Milton rose to special prominence during the English Civil War in the mid-17th century and served in the government of Oliver Cromwell during the period of the Protectorate in the 1650s (See: Further Reading & Resources). While an outstanding poet, Milton also penned several highly influential works of prose, including Areopagitica (1644), an essay famous for advocating freedom of the press and freedom of speech amongst Englishmen. Although later left disillusioned by the outcome of Cromwell’s regime and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Milton remained loyal to his republican beliefs. His most famous work, Paradise Lost, first appeared in 1667 and again in a revised edition in 1674, the year of Milton’s death. Paradise Lost is an epic poem in the