[Milton-L] Milton and Marx

[Schwartz, Louis]

-----Original Message-----
From: milton-l-bounces at lists.richmond.edu
[mailto:milton-l-bounces at lists.richmond.edu] On Behalf Of alan horn
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:15 AM
To: John Milton Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Milton-L] Milton and Marx

>> but perhaps we shouldn't entirely etherealize "silkworm Milton."

>I was thinking the same thing. Let's not lean too heavily on the
>metaphor or (like Brooks) abstract the example from its context. It
>would be inconsistent with Marx's thinking in general to suggest that
>writing poetry can ever be anything other than a throroughly social
>activity.
>
>Alan H
-------------------------------


Yes.  It's just that the social activity of writing as Milton practiced
it would have been for Marx a part of human nature, a form of labor as
natural and necessary to human being as silk production is for silk
worms.  Isn't it one of Marx's points that human beings produce more
than just their material existence?  I'm thinking, I suppose, about the
essay fragment, "Alienated Labor."

Nice to see a flurry of productive activity here, by the way.  I suppose
many of us are desperate not to set ourselves to the task of syllabus
production?

Wish I could just secrete mine......

Louis 

===========================
Louis Schwartz
Associate Professor of English
University of Richmond
Richmond, VA  23173
(804) 289-8315
lschwart at richmond.edu
 
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: milton-l-bounces at lists.richmond.edu
[mailto:milton-l-bounces at lists.richmond.edu] On Behalf Of alan horn
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:15 AM
To: John Milton Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Milton-L] Milton and Marx

> but perhaps we shouldn't entirely etherealize "silkworm Milton."

I was thinking the same thing. Let's not lean too heavily on the
metaphor or (like Brooks) abstract the example from its context. It
would be inconsistent with Marx's thinking in general to suggest that
writing poetry can ever be anything other than a throroughly social
activity.

Alan H
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