This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Essays in Criticism following peer review. The version of record Clare Hutton, The Moment and Technique of Milkman, Essays in Criticism, Volume 69, Issue 3, July 2019, Pages 349–371, https://doi.org/10.1093/escrit/cgz012 is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/eic/article/69/3/349/5537740?rss=1 and https://doi.org/10.1093/escrit/cgz012.