3. But Empson differed from other New Critics in an important respect: he was liberal rationalists, they were mostly conservative Christians
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Replying to @HeerJeet
4. The American New Critics in particular were high church Anglican tories, sometimes even neo-confederates.
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5. The exultation of the text in New Criticism was liturgy by other means.
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6. A digression: mid-20th century literary criticism was often theology waged by other means: New Critics, Frye, McLuhan, TS Eliot, CS Lewis
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7. Empson hated what he called the "neo-Christian" mood of 20th century literary criticism, which he saw as a retreat from liberalism.
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8. Empson's 1961 book Milton's God was his full throttle attack on the neo-Christians, an attempt to liberate literature from theology.
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9. Thesis of Milton's God: "The Christian God...is the wickedest thing yet invented by the black heart of man."
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10. Further thesis: Milton tried to make Christian God more palatable to morality. Milton failed but his failure created fruitful tension.
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11. In sum, the reason Paradise Lost is so good is because the God in the poem is so bad. So poem works to undermine faith.
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12. The notable thing about Milton's God is not just argument but the tone: a deliberately insolent, school boy naughty nose-tweaking.
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13. Empson's tone and voice in Milton's God is very close to that of Hitchens in God Is Not Great -- talk of wickedness, torture, etc.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
14. As far as I know, Hitchens only referred to Empson in passing, but I think Milton's God must have been formative for Hitchens.
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15. Example of Empson's tone: "I think the traditional God of Christianity very wicked, and have done so since I was at school..."
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