Mark Edmundson

Mark Edmundson is an American author and professor of English at the University of Virginia. He received a B.A from Bennington College in 1974 and a Ph.D from Yale University in 1985. Edmundson specializes in Romanticism, Poetry, and 19th-Century English and American Literature. Quotes Have there been any threats to classroom freedom at the University of Virginia? Not really. A couple of years ago, the administration wanted to know how our teaching and writing contributed to diversity, equity and inclusion. I protested this as soon as I saw it: The freedom to ignore DEI or teach in ways that came into conflict with it seemed precious to me.I sounded my mild protest to the president, Jim Ryan, the provost Ian Baucom (now president of Middlebury College), the chair of my department and anyone else I could find in power. The whole thing was a bit tricky, because I believe in many of the tenets of DEI. I just didn’t want the university to try to persuade professors to bend their teachings toward what I see as a political position. All the officials were willing to talk, debate, reconsider. When I and others spoke up, the people in charge wanted to hear.Now the tables have turned. Last month, President Trump’s Justice Department forced Jim Ryan to resign by threatening to cut off crucial funding to the university, claiming that Ryan hadn’t done enough to dismantle DEI programs. When the Trump administration attacked Harvard, the members of the Harvard Corporation fought back. At the University of Virginia, unlike Harvard, the Board of Visitors is state-appointed, and the current members, all chosen by Republican governors, caved in to the demands. So did the attorney general of the state, who might have defended us. "Paradise Lost at the University of Virginia", Wall Street Journal, 10 July 2025 Who is the hero of “Paradise Lost”? There are many candidates. The Son of God, who redeems mankind? Eve, who eats the apple to expand her consciousness? Romantic poets like Blake and Shelley notoriously argued that the real hero of the poem is Satan, who rebels against God’s all-powerful rule.But the character I admire most today is a minor angel named Abdiel, of whom Milton is particularly fond. When Abdiel—the name means Servant of God—hears about Satan’s plan to shake the throne of heaven, he steps out from the rebellious hordes and gives the arch-fiend a piece of his pious mind: “Shalt thou give Law to God, shalt thou dispute/With him the points of liberty, who made/Thee what thou art?” Later, Abdiel faces Satan on the field of battle, cracks him across the helmet, and knocks him back.I think that Abdiel reminds Milton of himself at his independent best. Milton was in political trouble when he wrote his great poem in England in the 1660s. He had defended the republican revolution and the execution of Charles I. Now that the monarchy was restored, his life was in danger. Blind and vulnerable, he was living in “darkness and with dangers compassed round.” Yet he persisted in exercising the freedom of the poet. In the days to come, professors at UVA and beyond may need to summon some of that spirit. "Paradise Lost at the University of Virginia", Wall Street Journal, 10 July 2025 External links Category:Non-fiction authors from the United States Category:Academics from the United States Category:Yale University alumni Category:University of Virginia faculty Category:Living people