The Sorrows of Young Miltonista

Confession: I, Miltonista, am petty, easily excitable, and not (yet) terribly accomplished. And thus, when one of the organizers of The Young Milton Conference e-mailed me inviting me to submit a proposal, I pumped my inner fist and declared that I had finally entered the ranks of the anointed.

Small problem: I don't really write about Milton's earlier writings. In fact, my current project is quite explicitly focused on Milton's later writings. 

Less small problem: the CFP is due tomorrow. Except I'm on the gauche side of the pond, so tomorrow is actually today. Fortunately, the abstracts only have to be two-hundred words long, but I'm not sure what I've been producing holds any water. But I've promised one friend/colleague that I'd apply so I'd better give it a shot.

(I realize that this entry gives away the fact that I am not any of the Miltonists whose abstracts already appear on the website. My apologies to those of you who were hoping I was Robert Appelbaum. Come to think of it, I might be happier if I were Robert Appelbaum--but that's the petty Miltonista talking.)