"These ten essays, originally presented at the 2005 Conference on John Milton, sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, were selected for inclusion in this collection on the basis of merit rather than theme, focus, or critical approach. Nonetheless, they all suggest, albeit from disparate perspectives, ways in which careful attention to Milton's language, to his "reasoning words," can offer a colorful palette of choices for the contemporary reader."--book jacket.