What Kind of Iconoclast Was Milton? Monuments, Books, and Textual Immortality

Whilst there is ample evidence of Milton's engagement with iconoclasm in his prose and poetry, the English author did not smash paintings and images under a hammer or a crowbar. Furthermore, elsewhere in his writing, Milton resorted to iconicity as a vehicle to represent his poetry. How should we then interpret his fascination with funeral monuments, which were often the object of Puritan iconoclasm? What kind of iconoclast was Milton? Is it possible to reconcile his iconoclastic and iconic impulses? This paper attempts to answer these questions by eventually addressing Milton’s conception of printed books as monuments that preserve and convey the quintessence of the author’s soul beyond life.