The Empty Garden

The Empty Garden draws a portrait of Milton as a cultural and religious critic who, in his latest and greatest poems, wrote narratives that illustrate the proper relationships among the individual, the community, and God. Rushdy argues that the political theory implicit in these relationships arises from Miltonrs"s own drive for self-knowledge, a kind of knowledge that gives the individual freedom to act in accordance with his or her own understanding of Godrs"s will rather than the staters"s. Rushdy redefines Miltonrs"s creative spirit in a way that encompasses his poetic, political, and religious careers.