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Paradise Lost and Other Poems
Presents three major works by the seventeenth-century poet
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1674
About the author
John Milton
2,757 books2,127 followersJohn Milton was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), written in blank verse.
Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. Writing in English, Latin, Greek, and Italian, he achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644)—written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship—is among history's most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and freedom of the press.
William Hayley's 1796 biography called him the "greatest English author," and he remains generally regarded "as one of the preeminent writers in the English language," though critical reception has oscillated in the centuries since his death (often on account of his republicanism). Samuel Johnson praised Paradise Lost as "a poem which...with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the human mind," though he (a Tory and recipient of royal patronage) described Milton's politics as those of an "acrimonious and surly republican".
Because of his republicanism, Milton has been the subject of centuries of British partisanship.
Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. Writing in English, Latin, Greek, and Italian, he achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644)—written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship—is among history's most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and freedom of the press.
William Hayley's 1796 biography called him the "greatest English author," and he remains generally regarded "as one of the preeminent writers in the English language," though critical reception has oscillated in the centuries since his death (often on account of his republicanism). Samuel Johnson praised Paradise Lost as "a poem which...with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the human mind," though he (a Tory and recipient of royal patronage) described Milton's politics as those of an "acrimonious and surly republican".
Because of his republicanism, Milton has been the subject of centuries of British partisanship.
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July 3, 2010
Milton wrote this while blind, and claimed it was the result of divine inspiration which visited him nightly. There are few texts that could reasonably be added into the Bible, and this is certainly one of them (the Divine Comedy is another). Paradise Lost outlines portions of the Bible which, thanks to its haphazard combination of mythic stories, are never fully explored.
In fact, most of Paradise Lost has become tacitly accepted into the Christian mythos, even if most Christians do not recognize it as a source. It also updated not only the epic, but the heroic form, and its questioning of the devil is a great philosophical exploration, even if it may ultimately prove a failure, as I shall try to explain.
The question remains: even if the Vatican did not explicitly include it, why are there not smaller sects which so often spring up around such and inspiring and daring work? The answer is that one need not explicitly include something that has been included implicitly. Many readers accept Milton's view of events as accurate and that it was wholly derived from the Bible, when in fact, it is largely an original work.
Under Constantine, Hell and the Devil were re-conceptualized. The representation of Hell in the Bible is often metaphorical, and does not include 'fire and brimstone'. Hell is defined as 'absence from God' and nothing more. This is supposed to be a painful and unfulfilling experience, but not literal physical torture.
Much of the modern conceptualization of Hell is based upon Hellenic mythological influences and verses from Revelation taken out of context. The place of 'fire and brimstone' is where the Devil and the Antichrist are put after the apocalypse, and is never stated as being related to human afterlife.
Likewise, the Devil is most commonly depicted as a greedy idiot chasing after farts. The only tempting he ever does Biblically is during Job, where he must first ask God if he is permitted to interfere. The concept of the Devil as a charming, rebellious trickster and genius is entirely Milton.
He portrays him this way to align Satan with the heroic figures of Epic Poetry. This is not because he thinks of the Devil as a hero, but rather so he can show that our heroes should not be rebellious murderers as they were in ancient stories, but humble, pious, simple men.
He gives the Devil philosophical and political motivations for rebelling, but has him fail to notice that God cannot be questioned or defeated. However, this requires that one absolutely believe this assertion without ever testing it. Anyone who accepts it unquestioningly (such as C.S. Lewis) is bound to believe that the Devil is foolish to question the natural order.
However, Milton himself states that the Devil had no choice but to doubt, and due to our own rational minds, man cannot help doubting either. In this case, we might fall in with Blake, and suggest that Milton was the Devil's man, not because he wanted to be, but because he carried biblical rhetoric to its rational conclusion.
This is illustrated in a rather shocking way in the creation of Eve: finding herself, utterly new to the world, she sees her own reflection in a puddle and, finding it beautiful, leans down naively and tries to kiss it. This amusing retelling of the myth of Narcissus indicates that God made women naturally autoerotic and bisexual.
Sadly, this never made it into modern Christianity, for some reason, but it does show the strength of Paradise Lost: Milton provides rhetorical support for every idea he explores, even those he did not side with. It is a great book of questions, and a book which demands the reader think and try to understand.
We are supposed to sympathize with the Devil because he is heroic and dangerous, but we also know he is the Devil. We know that to sympathize with him is wrong, and that he is supposed to be wrong. Milton here invented the concept of the Devil we cannot help but sympathize with, and who we must fight daily to overcome.
He defined sin as doubt, but without realizing that doubt will always deconstruct an old answer and suggest a new one. The fact remains that metaphysically, doubt can only injure us in a realm we cannot know exists. As the enemy of any tyranny--of men, of ideas--doubt is the helpmeet of all who struggle. The Devil is the father of doubt, and the final outcome of doubt is always accepting that we are fundamentally ignorant: either in our believing, or in our not believing.
He also uses the English language in an entirely idiomatic and masterful way, his is one of the few unique voices of English. Reading him sometimes proves a challenge for those without a background in Latin, since his sentence structure and particularly his verb use are stripped-down and multipurpose, taking the form of metaphysical poets to its logical conclusion.
He is also one of the most knowledgeable and allusive of writers, especially when it comes to the longer form. His encyclopedic exploration of myths, reinvention of scenes, and adoption of ideas make this work one of the most wide-reaching and interconnected in English.
This can make his work somewhat daunting for readers, who are often unwilling to read the books he references in preparation for tackling him, which I find rather ironic, since no one complains about having to read ten-thousand pages of Harry Potter before tackling the last book.
In fact, most of Paradise Lost has become tacitly accepted into the Christian mythos, even if most Christians do not recognize it as a source. It also updated not only the epic, but the heroic form, and its questioning of the devil is a great philosophical exploration, even if it may ultimately prove a failure, as I shall try to explain.
The question remains: even if the Vatican did not explicitly include it, why are there not smaller sects which so often spring up around such and inspiring and daring work? The answer is that one need not explicitly include something that has been included implicitly. Many readers accept Milton's view of events as accurate and that it was wholly derived from the Bible, when in fact, it is largely an original work.
Under Constantine, Hell and the Devil were re-conceptualized. The representation of Hell in the Bible is often metaphorical, and does not include 'fire and brimstone'. Hell is defined as 'absence from God' and nothing more. This is supposed to be a painful and unfulfilling experience, but not literal physical torture.
Much of the modern conceptualization of Hell is based upon Hellenic mythological influences and verses from Revelation taken out of context. The place of 'fire and brimstone' is where the Devil and the Antichrist are put after the apocalypse, and is never stated as being related to human afterlife.
Likewise, the Devil is most commonly depicted as a greedy idiot chasing after farts. The only tempting he ever does Biblically is during Job, where he must first ask God if he is permitted to interfere. The concept of the Devil as a charming, rebellious trickster and genius is entirely Milton.
He portrays him this way to align Satan with the heroic figures of Epic Poetry. This is not because he thinks of the Devil as a hero, but rather so he can show that our heroes should not be rebellious murderers as they were in ancient stories, but humble, pious, simple men.
He gives the Devil philosophical and political motivations for rebelling, but has him fail to notice that God cannot be questioned or defeated. However, this requires that one absolutely believe this assertion without ever testing it. Anyone who accepts it unquestioningly (such as C.S. Lewis) is bound to believe that the Devil is foolish to question the natural order.
However, Milton himself states that the Devil had no choice but to doubt, and due to our own rational minds, man cannot help doubting either. In this case, we might fall in with Blake, and suggest that Milton was the Devil's man, not because he wanted to be, but because he carried biblical rhetoric to its rational conclusion.
This is illustrated in a rather shocking way in the creation of Eve: finding herself, utterly new to the world, she sees her own reflection in a puddle and, finding it beautiful, leans down naively and tries to kiss it. This amusing retelling of the myth of Narcissus indicates that God made women naturally autoerotic and bisexual.
Sadly, this never made it into modern Christianity, for some reason, but it does show the strength of Paradise Lost: Milton provides rhetorical support for every idea he explores, even those he did not side with. It is a great book of questions, and a book which demands the reader think and try to understand.
We are supposed to sympathize with the Devil because he is heroic and dangerous, but we also know he is the Devil. We know that to sympathize with him is wrong, and that he is supposed to be wrong. Milton here invented the concept of the Devil we cannot help but sympathize with, and who we must fight daily to overcome.
He defined sin as doubt, but without realizing that doubt will always deconstruct an old answer and suggest a new one. The fact remains that metaphysically, doubt can only injure us in a realm we cannot know exists. As the enemy of any tyranny--of men, of ideas--doubt is the helpmeet of all who struggle. The Devil is the father of doubt, and the final outcome of doubt is always accepting that we are fundamentally ignorant: either in our believing, or in our not believing.
He also uses the English language in an entirely idiomatic and masterful way, his is one of the few unique voices of English. Reading him sometimes proves a challenge for those without a background in Latin, since his sentence structure and particularly his verb use are stripped-down and multipurpose, taking the form of metaphysical poets to its logical conclusion.
He is also one of the most knowledgeable and allusive of writers, especially when it comes to the longer form. His encyclopedic exploration of myths, reinvention of scenes, and adoption of ideas make this work one of the most wide-reaching and interconnected in English.
This can make his work somewhat daunting for readers, who are often unwilling to read the books he references in preparation for tackling him, which I find rather ironic, since no one complains about having to read ten-thousand pages of Harry Potter before tackling the last book.
November 25, 2021
"The greatest epic poem in the English language," proclaims the crumbling front cover of the old Mentor Classic mass-market paperback of Paradise Lost I got for a quarter from a library book sale (it was almost 40 years old when I bought it, over 20 years ago). The competition, to be fair, isn't very stiff. Beowulf is not exactly in the English language, The Faerie Queene is more romance than epic, and most of Milton's celebrated Romantic and Victorian successors framed their efforts in imitation of his; so unless we grant "poem" status to epic or mock-epic novels like Moby-Dick, Middlemarch, and Ulysses, then Paradise Lost it is.
Milton, anyway, was ambivalent about writing a Christian epic, and conscious that there was some disjunction between his Greek and Roman poetic models and his story's Biblical source. In one of his two customary invocations to the muse, he worries that he's writing in "an age too late" for "heroick song," but he also dismisses the traditional subject matter of epic and romance ("long and tedious havock [of] fabled knights / In battles feign’d") in favor of "the better fortitude / Of patience and heroick martyrdom / Unsung"—the humility of the Christian worldview, not the pride of the pagan. Yet Milton, scholar and revolutionary, was nothing if not a proud man. With its opening boasts that it will portray "[t]hings unattempted yet in prose or rhyme" and "justify the ways of God to men," Paradise Lost may have inherited the earth, or at least the canon, but it certainly didn't do so by being meek.
We begin in medias res in the burning lake of hell where the fallen angels raise themselves groaning in chains while "darkness visible" flames around them. There are literary works that immediately wash away the doubts and disputes and chatter that have accrued around them with their immense imaginative force. This is one of them. Milton's blank verse, his endless, rolling, thundering Latinate sentences, seem to carve his impossible images in vast edifices of stone. We fly through billowing chaos, zoom across the universe, and visit palaces in the north of Heaven. And the effect is closer to architecture than any other art: I have never known any book to make me feel so small. In his Life of Milton, Samuel Johnson, who wittily and even contemptuously expresses many doubts about the poet's life and character, captures the work in one sentence: "The characteristick quality of his poem is sublimity." Satan starts speaking:
Critics agree that Milton follows a decided plan of degrading Satan's character the further he gets from heaven and the deeper he wades into sin. During the war among the angels in Heaven, narrated by the angel Raphael to Adam in the poem's central books, Satan makes a claim against God—that he and the other angels are self-begot, not created—which Empson finds defensible, given God's apparent reticence about the nature of things before His subordinates:
God, anyway, has a master plan that circumscribes Satan's tragedy and turns it into our divine comedy. This brings us to the poem's second famous problem: if Milton's Satan is an untoward triumph, his God is an equally inadvertent disaster. There's no saving the poet here. He should have observed the prohibition on graven images. He keeps telling us that even in Heaven, God is invisible, so why does he make Him audible? Caught in the familiar theological problem that His omniscience allows Him to foresee Satan's rebellion and man's fall, but that His benevolence prevents Him for being acknowledged the author of evil, Milton's God keeps exhaustively explaining Himself to Jesus, tortuous perseverations that unwittingly bespeak some divine hesitance or consciousness of guilt. If we examine God's plan, though, we can see that Milton was aware of the problem and its solution. After explaining how Jesus will atone for humanity's disobedience at the crucifixion and then fight a final battle with evil at the Second Coming, God explains how the world will end:
In the epic's rather inadequate conclusion, when the archangel Michael shows Adam the whole future course of humanity in a rather tiresome stretch of Bible-summarizing before sternly dismissing him and Eve from the garden, our erring progenitor almost indecently exclaims over his fortunate fall, which sets in motion the dialectical machinery of our eventual total deliverance:
Milton, anyway, was ambivalent about writing a Christian epic, and conscious that there was some disjunction between his Greek and Roman poetic models and his story's Biblical source. In one of his two customary invocations to the muse, he worries that he's writing in "an age too late" for "heroick song," but he also dismisses the traditional subject matter of epic and romance ("long and tedious havock [of] fabled knights / In battles feign’d") in favor of "the better fortitude / Of patience and heroick martyrdom / Unsung"—the humility of the Christian worldview, not the pride of the pagan. Yet Milton, scholar and revolutionary, was nothing if not a proud man. With its opening boasts that it will portray "[t]hings unattempted yet in prose or rhyme" and "justify the ways of God to men," Paradise Lost may have inherited the earth, or at least the canon, but it certainly didn't do so by being meek.
We begin in medias res in the burning lake of hell where the fallen angels raise themselves groaning in chains while "darkness visible" flames around them. There are literary works that immediately wash away the doubts and disputes and chatter that have accrued around them with their immense imaginative force. This is one of them. Milton's blank verse, his endless, rolling, thundering Latinate sentences, seem to carve his impossible images in vast edifices of stone. We fly through billowing chaos, zoom across the universe, and visit palaces in the north of Heaven. And the effect is closer to architecture than any other art: I have never known any book to make me feel so small. In his Life of Milton, Samuel Johnson, who wittily and even contemptuously expresses many doubts about the poet's life and character, captures the work in one sentence: "The characteristick quality of his poem is sublimity." Satan starts speaking:
What though the field be lost?Vaunting revolutionary rhetoric. With Satan's speech we arrive right away at the famous interpretive problem the poem is said to present: that Satan is its liveliest and—at least initially—most attractive character. Or even its only character in a dramatic or novelistic sense, its only figure with a strong sense of a variable inner life, the rest being rather heraldically drawn types, at least until the fall of Eve late in the story. William Blake made the case most famously in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:
All is not lost—the unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield:
And what is else not to be overcome?
That glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me.
The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true poet, and of the Devil’s party without knowing it.More critics than I ever plan to read have tried to solve the problem. In the 20th century, the Christian C. S. Lewis patiently explained the classical psychology and Christian theology that demands readers execrate this only superficially charismatic Devil (A Preface to Paradise Lost), while the atheist William Empson sympathetically investigated Satan's implied motives as if he were a character in a play or novel, speculated about gnostic influences on the poet, and pronounced God the child-sacrificing villain of the piece (Milton's God). It's still a live question: just this month, Sam Buntz essayed again on the topic, eloquently taking Lewis's side.
Critics agree that Milton follows a decided plan of degrading Satan's character the further he gets from heaven and the deeper he wades into sin. During the war among the angels in Heaven, narrated by the angel Raphael to Adam in the poem's central books, Satan makes a claim against God—that he and the other angels are self-begot, not created—which Empson finds defensible, given God's apparent reticence about the nature of things before His subordinates:
We know no time when we were not as now;Splendid poetry—I want to declaim it on a barricade in a burning city—but too redolent of teenaged ignorance to stand scrutiny, just like my jejune fantasy. Who is self-begot? None of us. Still, the pride here is sublime, and honest in its way; Empson emphasizes that Satan really appears not to know until the war whether or not God is truly omnipotent, and therefore he finds the revolt intellectually justified. Whether or not we will go that far with Empson, we can grant that Satan is a character with enough grandeur, bravery, and strength—all inextricably mixed with the pride that led him to "think himself impaired" when God named His son the Messiah—to have something to lose before he lost it. In literary terms, this makes Satan a hero of a particular type: a tragic hero, one whose catastrophic fall is already implicated in his gorgeous merit. When Satan ventures to the newly-created earth and finds that God has created Adam and Eve, his tortured soliloquy, which recalls Marlowe's Faustus and Shakespeare's Hamlet, emphasizes the character's tragic stature:
Know none before us, self-begot, self-raised
By our own quickening power, when fatal course
Had circled his full orb, the birth mature
Of this our native Heaven, ethereal sons.
Our puissance is our own; our own right hand
Shall teach us highest deeds, by proof to try
Who is our equal…
Me miserable! which way shall I flyWith this anguished depth psychology, Milton participates, for better and for worse, in the birth of the modern self. Regarding Satan as a tragic hero relieves us of having to decide whether or not we agree with him; it's enough that we feel pity for what he's lost and terror at what he's become.
Infinite wrath, and infinite despair?
Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell;
And, in the lowest deep, a lower deep
Still threatening to devour me opens wide,
To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heaven.
God, anyway, has a master plan that circumscribes Satan's tragedy and turns it into our divine comedy. This brings us to the poem's second famous problem: if Milton's Satan is an untoward triumph, his God is an equally inadvertent disaster. There's no saving the poet here. He should have observed the prohibition on graven images. He keeps telling us that even in Heaven, God is invisible, so why does he make Him audible? Caught in the familiar theological problem that His omniscience allows Him to foresee Satan's rebellion and man's fall, but that His benevolence prevents Him for being acknowledged the author of evil, Milton's God keeps exhaustively explaining Himself to Jesus, tortuous perseverations that unwittingly bespeak some divine hesitance or consciousness of guilt. If we examine God's plan, though, we can see that Milton was aware of the problem and its solution. After explaining how Jesus will atone for humanity's disobedience at the crucifixion and then fight a final battle with evil at the Second Coming, God explains how the world will end:
The world shall burn, and from her ashes springFor the republican and regicide Milton, the trappings of authority—including, apparently, a transcendent and monarchical Father God and his regal Prince—are temporary expedients until we all become capable of enjoying the anarcho-communism at the end of history. From this perspective, to riff on one of Empson's startling analogies, Milton's God really is like "Uncle Joe Stalin," though Satan isn't much better, a kind of Lenin whose revolt, however we might comprehend it, leads to tyranny, as Satan becomes monarch of Hell. Milton, though, if we can belabor this fanciful analogy, is Trotsky, a visionary of the permanent revolution. At the end of time, God will dissolve into humanity, and humanity will therefore be God, free and equal at long last.
New Heaven and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell,
And, after all their tribulations long,
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
With joy and peace triumphing, and fair truth.
Then thou thy regal scepter shalt lay by,
For regal scepter then no more shall need,
God shall be all in all.
In the epic's rather inadequate conclusion, when the archangel Michael shows Adam the whole future course of humanity in a rather tiresome stretch of Bible-summarizing before sternly dismissing him and Eve from the garden, our erring progenitor almost indecently exclaims over his fortunate fall, which sets in motion the dialectical machinery of our eventual total deliverance:
That all this good of evil shall produce,So while C. S. Lewis knows more of classical and medieval thought than I do, his strenuous defense of Milton's orthodoxy ("the adverse criticism of Milton is not so much a literary phenomenon as the shadow cast upon literature by revolutionary politics, antinomian ethics, and the worship of Man by Man") still seems to fall short when it denies the poet his radical modernity, however we judge it. Michael promises Adam that if he properly internalizes the virtues, he will enjoy a better version of the racking inwardness Satan gained through sin, otherwise known as what prior epic heroes have lacked, i.e., subjectivity:
And evil turn to good; more wonderful
Than that which by creation first brought forth
Light out of darkness! Full of doubt I stand,
Whether I should repent me now of sin
By me done, and occasioned; or rejoice
Much more, that much more good thereof shall spring…
…then wilt thou not be lothThis modern interest in the self explains the presence and the effectiveness of Milton's epic invocations, with their poignant personal asides on his blindness—
To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess
A Paradise within thee, happier far…
Thus with the year—and on his not-entirely-un-Satanic sense of political defeat, no matter how recompensed by his sublime and inspired art:
Seasons return; but not to me returns
Day, or the sweet approach of even or morn,
Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer’s rose,
Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine;
But cloud instead, and ever-during dark
Surrounds me, from the cheerful ways of men
Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair
Presented with a universal blank
Of nature’s works to me expung’d and ras’d,
And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out.
So much the rather thou, celestial Light,
Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers
Irradiate; there plant eyes, all mist from thence
Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell
Of things invisible to mortal sight.
Standing on earth, not rapt above the pole,Are we fit? Probably not enough: do we know the languages he knew, the theology he read? Some do, and I've met them, but I don't. Yet he was a man, not a god, and susceptible to criticism. Dr. Johnson, a Tory and Anglican, had political and religious reasons to deplore Milton, to quote again from his Life of Milton:
More safe I sing with mortal voice, unchanged
To hoarse or mute, though fallen on evil days,
On evil days though fallen, and evil tongues;
In darkness, and with dangers compassed round,
And solitude; yet not alone, while thou
Visitest my slumbers nightly, or when morn
Purples the east: still govern thou my song,
Urania, and fit audience find, though few.
His political notions were those of an acrimonious and surly republican… He hated monarchs in the state and prelates in the church; for he hated all whom he was required to obey. It is to be suspected that his predominant desire was to destroy rather than establish, and that he felt not so much the love of liberty as repugnance to authority.We might not share that particular qualm, especially if we are acrimonious and surly republican Americans, but when Johnson immediately follows it up with a censure of Milton's intense misogyny ("He for God only, she for God in him"), obvious even before Mary Wollstonecraft or Virginia Woolf complained of it, we have to admit he has a point:
It has been observed that they who most loudly clamour for liberty do not most liberally grant it. […] [T]here appears in his books something like a Turkish contempt of females, as subordinate and inferior beings. That his own daughters might not break the ranks, he suffered them to be depressed by a mean and penurious education. He thought woman made only for obedience, and man only for rebellion.And Johnson, who preferred novels and autobiographies to epics and romances, was also on solid ground when he noted that the poem's very virtue—its soaring sublimity—also makes it more alienating and exhausting than more mundane literary performances:
The want of human interest is always felt. Paradise Lost is one of the books which the reader admires and lays down, and forgets to take up again. None ever wished it longer than it is. Its perusal is a duty rather than a pleasure.The last sentence goes too far, though, and the first one might too. My interest in Satan, and in the persona of the poet himself, is a human interest, and I know few poets more pleasurable in their energy of invention. Following Johnson, and with likely similar political motives, T. S. Eliot's modernist rebuke of what he took to be Milton's crushing rhetorical artificiality is beside the point, as if it were not the poem's very triumph. Having read it for the third or fourth time in two decades, I renew a judgment first made when I was a teenager, that whether or not Paradise Lost is the greatest epic poem in the English language, it is one of the best books in any genre I have ever read.
Read
October 26, 2023a deeply logical puritan guy trying so so self-consciously to write an epic poem about the bible. found it impossible to read sincerely, on the one hand, but on the other like a lot of value in reading this as that deeply self-conscious attempt of a logical puritan guy to write an epic poem about the bible… and guess which approach this course took…
whatever. no rating, just bragging i got through this.
whatever. no rating, just bragging i got through this.
October 23, 2023
22 October 2023 Milton-a-thon reread:
Need a t-shirt that says “I sat in a room for ten hours straight reading Paradise Lost out loud and I ENJOYED IT”
Incredible experience. Thank you Colgate University English department.
Need a t-shirt that says “I sat in a room for ten hours straight reading Paradise Lost out loud and I ENJOYED IT”
Incredible experience. Thank you Colgate University English department.
May 3, 2021
pretty good for a bible fanfic
October 28, 2013
A good edition and well annotated. This is one of the foundations of both English literature and the modern English language. If read in context of British culture and politics of the time, one can gain some deep insight into the transition of England from a Catholic medieval society into a Protestant enlightenment one. Paradise Lost is a work by yet another dead white guy that you should none the less be required to read.
Read
October 26, 2017Let me think on this one. *goes back to the drawing board*
Read
July 16, 2020I really loved the first third of this, but am not ashamed to say I found it a slog thereafter.
May 6, 2020
“The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
¿Quien soy yo, una chica viviendo en pleno siglo XXI, para reseñar este clásico de la literatura inglesa escrito hace más de cuatro siglos? ¿Que hace una atea leyendo lo que bien podría considerarse como un “retelling” de algunas de las historias más interesantes de la biblia, escrito por un autor protestante en el siglo XVII? Este libro no encaja en nada en cuanto a mis intereses, pero igual lo disfruté un montón.
“Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”
Ok, ahora prepárense para una mini clase de catequesis (??). En este libro hay tres relatos distintos, todos escritos en forma de poesía épica al mejor estilo griego. Paradise Lost, el más extenso de los tres, contiene dos arcos narrativos: comienza narrando la caída de Lucifer del cielo, y luego el exilio de Adan y Eva del Paraíso. El segundo relato, Samson Agonistes, narra los últimos momentos de la vida de Samson, quien fue capturado y cegado por sus enemigos luego de haber sido traicionado por su amada Dalila. Por último, el poema de Lycidas es una “elegía pastoral” (yo también lo tuve que googlear: una elegía es un poema en el cual se lamenta la pérdida de algo, en este caso un ser querido, y es pastoral al pertenecer al género artístico que representa dicho estilo de vida), en el cual Milton conmemora a un amigo suyo que se ahogó al hundirse el barco en el cual viajaba.
“For Man will hearken to his glozing lies,
And easily transgress the sole command,
Sole pledge of his obedience: so will fall
He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault?
Whose but his own? Ingrate, he had of me
All he could have; I made him just and right,
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.”
Este libro cayó en mis manos porque últimamente yo tenía ganas de leer clásicos, y también de leer más poesía. Y encontré este libro que era ambas cosas a la vez, y además estaba modelado como una tragedia griega. ¿Qué mejor? Así que me llevó como tres meses, pero al fin lo terminé. Y no me arrepiento de haberlo leído. Para nada.
“On me let Death wreak all his rage.”
Previo a esto yo sabía poco y nada sobre el catolicismo: nunca leí la biblia, ni tome la comunión, ni nada por el estilo; ni siquiera soy creyente! Así que leer este libro me llenó de conocimientos sobre este tema, y lo hizo de una forma bellísima. A pesar de ser un libro muy viejo, y por lo tanto usar la forma antigua del lenguaje inglés, Milton logra describir y detallar todo lo que pasa de forma vívida y majestuosa. Igualmente admito que la mayor parte del tiempo se me hizo bastante pesado, más que nada por su lenguaje y formato, pero siento que valió la pena.
“Abashed the Devil stood,
And felt how awful goodness is.”
Como dije antes, yo no soy ninguna experta ni en el tema del catolicismo, ni en la poesía, ni en los clásicos, ni en el autor. Así que este es simplemente mi opinión y mi experiencia al leer el libro. Igualmente trate de informarme lo mayor posible, así que espero poder realmente reflejar todo lo que aprendí en estas páginas.
“How are we happy, still in fear of harm?”
Según dice al principio de Paradise Lost, lo que buscaba Milton al escribirlo era “justificar las formas de Dios para el hombre”. Al momento que lo escribió, el autor tenía casi sesenta años y estaba ciego; y aún así logró escribir lo que muchos consideran su obra maestra.
En esta épica bíblica, Milton reescribe el texto sagrado, adaptándolo a la forma de tragedia griega, la cual pensaba que encajaba mejor para narrar la grandeza de los eventos allí descritos. Y al hacerlo, es inevitable que deje impresas sus propias creencias y cosmovisiones.
“If such pleasure be
In things to us forbidden, it might be wished
For this one tree had been forbidden ten.”
En Paradise Lost se tratan dos caídas: la de los ángeles rebeldes del cielo, y la de la humanidad pecadora del Edén. En la primera parte, el autor nos presenta a Lucifer casi como si fuera un héroe helenístico trágico: alguien persuasivo, carismático, y que al final falla por su propio error fatal. Por otro lado, cuando relata la caída de la humanidad, se muestra cómo Adan encarna todos los valores del hombre creyente y devoto perfecto, mientras que Eva es (como siempre) la pecadora y culpable de todo mal. Eso, obviamente, no le gustó para nada a mi lado feminista; pero entiendo que otra cosa no puede esperarse de una poesía escrita por un hombre hace cuatro siglos sobre este tema en particular.
“Nor love thy life nor hate, but what thou liv’st
Live well.”
Me gustó que Paradise Lost no esté narrado para nada de forma lineal: el autor va y viene en la línea de tiempo constantemente, y eso genera un dinamismo bastante interesante a algo que de otra forma se me hubiera hecho más pesado. Además, podemos ver a grandes personajes y eventos bíblicos desde un nuevo punto de vista, lo cual me parece súper enriquecedor seas creyente o no.
“Only add Deeds to thy knowledge answerable; add faith;
Add virtue, patience, temperance; add love,
By name to come called Charity, the soul
Of all the rest: then wilt thou not be loth
To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess
A Paradise within thee, happier far.”
Por otro lado, Samson Agonistes quizás sí se sintió como una verdadera tragedia griega, con un coro y todo. Es un relato apasionado sobre la fe, la pérdida, la traición y la esperanza. Me pareció el más entretenido y dinámico de los tres.
Y por último, Lycidas es el más fiel a la poesía a la cual estamos acostumbrados, aunque sin perder el sentimiento de desolación y melancolía característico del autor y del género. Habla sobre la pérdida, homenajeando a un ser querido, y a la vez reflexiona sobre la vida y la muerte.
“So mutable are all the ways of men.”
Además, esta edición viene con miles (literalmente, miles) de notas al pie en todas las páginas explicando cada referencia, cada significado oculto y e interpretación de lo que escribió Milton, lo cual viene genial si se quiere hacer una lectura en profundidad.
“The world was all before them, where to choose.”
En fin, creo que este es el libro que está menos en sintonía con todos mis intereses, pero sin embargo lo disfruté un montón. Los tres poemas son un sello del autor y una declaración de fe. Pero no es un sermón aburrido ni una clase de catequesis, sino que Milton nos envuelve en el aspecto más trágico de todo lo que narra, y describe con pasión y dolor las pérdidas y los cambios ocurridos, apelando a nuestros sentimientos más profundos y a nuestra propia humanidad. Me sirvió muchísimo para aprender más sobre el canon de esta religión, y también para leer cómo sería la poesía épica llevada a la literatura inglesa.
“Can it be sin to know? Can it be death? And do they only stand
By ignorance? Is that their happy state,
The proof of their obedience and their faith?”
Si quedaron interesadxs, les recomiendo buscar y leer un análisis con mayor profundidad (y profesionalismo, no como está humilde reseña).
¿Lo recomiendo? Sólo si te interesan estos temas en particular, o estás dispuestx a aprender más sobre ellos.
“
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
¿Quien soy yo, una chica viviendo en pleno siglo XXI, para reseñar este clásico de la literatura inglesa escrito hace más de cuatro siglos? ¿Que hace una atea leyendo lo que bien podría considerarse como un “retelling” de algunas de las historias más interesantes de la biblia, escrito por un autor protestante en el siglo XVII? Este libro no encaja en nada en cuanto a mis intereses, pero igual lo disfruté un montón.
“Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”
Ok, ahora prepárense para una mini clase de catequesis (??). En este libro hay tres relatos distintos, todos escritos en forma de poesía épica al mejor estilo griego. Paradise Lost, el más extenso de los tres, contiene dos arcos narrativos: comienza narrando la caída de Lucifer del cielo, y luego el exilio de Adan y Eva del Paraíso. El segundo relato, Samson Agonistes, narra los últimos momentos de la vida de Samson, quien fue capturado y cegado por sus enemigos luego de haber sido traicionado por su amada Dalila. Por último, el poema de Lycidas es una “elegía pastoral” (yo también lo tuve que googlear: una elegía es un poema en el cual se lamenta la pérdida de algo, en este caso un ser querido, y es pastoral al pertenecer al género artístico que representa dicho estilo de vida), en el cual Milton conmemora a un amigo suyo que se ahogó al hundirse el barco en el cual viajaba.
“For Man will hearken to his glozing lies,
And easily transgress the sole command,
Sole pledge of his obedience: so will fall
He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault?
Whose but his own? Ingrate, he had of me
All he could have; I made him just and right,
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.”
Este libro cayó en mis manos porque últimamente yo tenía ganas de leer clásicos, y también de leer más poesía. Y encontré este libro que era ambas cosas a la vez, y además estaba modelado como una tragedia griega. ¿Qué mejor? Así que me llevó como tres meses, pero al fin lo terminé. Y no me arrepiento de haberlo leído. Para nada.
“On me let Death wreak all his rage.”
Previo a esto yo sabía poco y nada sobre el catolicismo: nunca leí la biblia, ni tome la comunión, ni nada por el estilo; ni siquiera soy creyente! Así que leer este libro me llenó de conocimientos sobre este tema, y lo hizo de una forma bellísima. A pesar de ser un libro muy viejo, y por lo tanto usar la forma antigua del lenguaje inglés, Milton logra describir y detallar todo lo que pasa de forma vívida y majestuosa. Igualmente admito que la mayor parte del tiempo se me hizo bastante pesado, más que nada por su lenguaje y formato, pero siento que valió la pena.
“Abashed the Devil stood,
And felt how awful goodness is.”
Como dije antes, yo no soy ninguna experta ni en el tema del catolicismo, ni en la poesía, ni en los clásicos, ni en el autor. Así que este es simplemente mi opinión y mi experiencia al leer el libro. Igualmente trate de informarme lo mayor posible, así que espero poder realmente reflejar todo lo que aprendí en estas páginas.
“How are we happy, still in fear of harm?”
Según dice al principio de Paradise Lost, lo que buscaba Milton al escribirlo era “justificar las formas de Dios para el hombre”. Al momento que lo escribió, el autor tenía casi sesenta años y estaba ciego; y aún así logró escribir lo que muchos consideran su obra maestra.
En esta épica bíblica, Milton reescribe el texto sagrado, adaptándolo a la forma de tragedia griega, la cual pensaba que encajaba mejor para narrar la grandeza de los eventos allí descritos. Y al hacerlo, es inevitable que deje impresas sus propias creencias y cosmovisiones.
“If such pleasure be
In things to us forbidden, it might be wished
For this one tree had been forbidden ten.”
En Paradise Lost se tratan dos caídas: la de los ángeles rebeldes del cielo, y la de la humanidad pecadora del Edén. En la primera parte, el autor nos presenta a Lucifer casi como si fuera un héroe helenístico trágico: alguien persuasivo, carismático, y que al final falla por su propio error fatal. Por otro lado, cuando relata la caída de la humanidad, se muestra cómo Adan encarna todos los valores del hombre creyente y devoto perfecto, mientras que Eva es (como siempre) la pecadora y culpable de todo mal. Eso, obviamente, no le gustó para nada a mi lado feminista; pero entiendo que otra cosa no puede esperarse de una poesía escrita por un hombre hace cuatro siglos sobre este tema en particular.
“Nor love thy life nor hate, but what thou liv’st
Live well.”
Me gustó que Paradise Lost no esté narrado para nada de forma lineal: el autor va y viene en la línea de tiempo constantemente, y eso genera un dinamismo bastante interesante a algo que de otra forma se me hubiera hecho más pesado. Además, podemos ver a grandes personajes y eventos bíblicos desde un nuevo punto de vista, lo cual me parece súper enriquecedor seas creyente o no.
“Only add Deeds to thy knowledge answerable; add faith;
Add virtue, patience, temperance; add love,
By name to come called Charity, the soul
Of all the rest: then wilt thou not be loth
To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess
A Paradise within thee, happier far.”
Por otro lado, Samson Agonistes quizás sí se sintió como una verdadera tragedia griega, con un coro y todo. Es un relato apasionado sobre la fe, la pérdida, la traición y la esperanza. Me pareció el más entretenido y dinámico de los tres.
Y por último, Lycidas es el más fiel a la poesía a la cual estamos acostumbrados, aunque sin perder el sentimiento de desolación y melancolía característico del autor y del género. Habla sobre la pérdida, homenajeando a un ser querido, y a la vez reflexiona sobre la vida y la muerte.
“So mutable are all the ways of men.”
Además, esta edición viene con miles (literalmente, miles) de notas al pie en todas las páginas explicando cada referencia, cada significado oculto y e interpretación de lo que escribió Milton, lo cual viene genial si se quiere hacer una lectura en profundidad.
“The world was all before them, where to choose.”
En fin, creo que este es el libro que está menos en sintonía con todos mis intereses, pero sin embargo lo disfruté un montón. Los tres poemas son un sello del autor y una declaración de fe. Pero no es un sermón aburrido ni una clase de catequesis, sino que Milton nos envuelve en el aspecto más trágico de todo lo que narra, y describe con pasión y dolor las pérdidas y los cambios ocurridos, apelando a nuestros sentimientos más profundos y a nuestra propia humanidad. Me sirvió muchísimo para aprender más sobre el canon de esta religión, y también para leer cómo sería la poesía épica llevada a la literatura inglesa.
“Can it be sin to know? Can it be death? And do they only stand
By ignorance? Is that their happy state,
The proof of their obedience and their faith?”
Si quedaron interesadxs, les recomiendo buscar y leer un análisis con mayor profundidad (y profesionalismo, no como está humilde reseña).
¿Lo recomiendo? Sólo si te interesan estos temas en particular, o estás dispuestx a aprender más sobre ellos.
“
April 11, 2016
Paradise Lost may have its stakes as the greatest poem written in the English language, but it pales in comparison to Virgil, Homer and Dante. Milton's attempt to emulate the elevated Latin and Greek style (syntactically) only makes his verse sound pompous and arrogant. The only character that entices the dormant imagination is the Byronic Satan who exudes charisma and rebellious charm.
June 15, 2008
Although I'm not into spirituality, the writing is absolutely elegant and superb. One of the strongest products of literature I've ever seen. Every line, despite being only a handful of words, evokes such rich and deep imagery I need to force myself to slow down so I can enjoy the deep immersion.
October 24, 2008
I was persuing this last winter, and Paradise Lost remains as mind-expanding as ever, action packed, with possibly the richest prose in the English language.
July 1, 2016
Paradise lost is an astounding work, and if true that he wrote it while blind from pure divine inspiration- well it just speaks to the power in his words.
May 26, 2018
Great poems, written in the 17th century that still seem to reflect today's world.
June 2, 2017
In 'A Preface to Paradise Lost', C.S. Lewis suggests reading 'Paradise Lost' as if it were true. He used this illustration, "Instead of stripping the knight of his armour you can try to put his armour on yourself...You must, so far as in you lies, become an Achaean chief while reading Homer, a medieval knight while reading Malory, and an eighteenth century Londoner while reading Johnson."
I think this is good advice. If, dear reader, you are not used to reading old books—specifically, epics—I suggest reading 'A Preface to Paradise Lost' before reading Milton's Epic. It will help you cross the "gulf between the ages" and experience the story as the author intended.
I enjoyed this story immensely. I liked the plot, rhythm, and imagery. I'll probably read it several times over.
I think this is good advice. If, dear reader, you are not used to reading old books—specifically, epics—I suggest reading 'A Preface to Paradise Lost' before reading Milton's Epic. It will help you cross the "gulf between the ages" and experience the story as the author intended.
I enjoyed this story immensely. I liked the plot, rhythm, and imagery. I'll probably read it several times over.
October 13, 2022
After some 13 hours I gained little. Yet much of the West's literary intelligencia today are convinced - as they were soon after its 1665 publication - that Paradise Lost represents the pinnacle of the written word in any language, in any culture. Beautifully crafted Christain ideas - void of storyline, character or plot - about Genesis, Adam & Eve, the Tree of Knowledge, with Satan playing a larger role in the formation of virtue than God. Found on nearly everyone's 'great book's list,' Milton also knows his ancient Greek & Roman history and the pagan polytheism that he describes as either complementing or conflicting with his interpretation of the first Book of the Old Testament.
December 3, 2019
Satan is one of the great characters in English literature.
February 7, 2021
Awesome fanfic! 8/10 would recommend.
November 19, 2021
This was a tough read! I wish I retained more than I did from this book. Perhaps someday I will revisit and reread. In the meantime, I’m glad I read this classic piece of literature.
April 7, 2016
Rating: 3.5 stars
"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven." (1.263)
John Milton has set himself to the impossible task of writing the first classic epic poem in the English language. He is determined to justify the ways of God to man, demote the monarchy, and discredit the Christian Church. Using the poetic writing style of English Heroic Verse (without rhyme), Milton will attempt to characterize God (!!!), make Satan, the epitome of evil, his epic hero, tell the story of a war in Heaven, describe the desolation and horror of Hell and the perfection and beauty of Heaven, and create complex characters out of the Biblical classics. All while dictating the entire twelve book epic to his daughters, since Milton is blind. This may seem an impossible task, and Milton certainly ends up contradicting himself on multiple occasions, but overall Paradise Lost ends up being just what Milton envisioned; a classic (and hard to read) epic poem about the ways of God and the corruption of mankind.
The Characters: By trying to characterize some of the most recognized figures in all of recent history, Milton has set himself up to disappoint at least some. Satan himself must become more complex than just pure evil, grappling with his decisions and how they affect others. God is, as Milton strives for, a distant and powerful figure. He sends the Son to do all the "dirty work", and the reader never actually sees God himself speak. This actually supports Milton's view as a Protestant that God is a more distant figure who shouldn't directly deal with such trivial affairs. Adam as a character was devoted to God, although once he is encouraged by Eve to eat the apple, his faith waivers and he actually becomes submissive to Eve. Eve herself is wanton, vain, and basically not very smart. Milton believed women should be submissive to their husbands and that they were the source of the world's problems (due to his own life experiences), and blatantly shows this through Eve's actions. Probably the most interesting concepts to go along with Milton's characters was the way physical degeneration mirrored moral degeneration. As Satan moved away from his angelic origins and became increasingly evil, the animals he shape-shifted into also degenerated, from an angel to a serpent. Adam and Eve lost their perfect angelic looks once they ate of the Tree of Knowledge, and the culmination of the rebel angels' degeneration happens when Satan returns from Eden and they all transform against their will into monsters.
"...the ascent is easy, then."
Connection to Ancient Epics: Milton connected many of the classic Biblical stories to classic Greek epics by making references to Greek myths. For example, the Son himself defeats Satan and his rebel angels in battle by riding in on a chariot and striking them with lightning bolts.
"The mind itself is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..."
All in all, despite the horrendously difficult language (although it did get better as I got used to it, I must say) I definitely enjoyed this book and appreciated what Milton was trying to do. I wouldn't have picked it up if I didn't need to read it for school, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it! :)
P.S. As I wrote this review, my cat was laying on my left arm and purring the entire time...
"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven." (1.263)
John Milton has set himself to the impossible task of writing the first classic epic poem in the English language. He is determined to justify the ways of God to man, demote the monarchy, and discredit the Christian Church. Using the poetic writing style of English Heroic Verse (without rhyme), Milton will attempt to characterize God (!!!), make Satan, the epitome of evil, his epic hero, tell the story of a war in Heaven, describe the desolation and horror of Hell and the perfection and beauty of Heaven, and create complex characters out of the Biblical classics. All while dictating the entire twelve book epic to his daughters, since Milton is blind. This may seem an impossible task, and Milton certainly ends up contradicting himself on multiple occasions, but overall Paradise Lost ends up being just what Milton envisioned; a classic (and hard to read) epic poem about the ways of God and the corruption of mankind.
The Characters: By trying to characterize some of the most recognized figures in all of recent history, Milton has set himself up to disappoint at least some. Satan himself must become more complex than just pure evil, grappling with his decisions and how they affect others. God is, as Milton strives for, a distant and powerful figure. He sends the Son to do all the "dirty work", and the reader never actually sees God himself speak. This actually supports Milton's view as a Protestant that God is a more distant figure who shouldn't directly deal with such trivial affairs. Adam as a character was devoted to God, although once he is encouraged by Eve to eat the apple, his faith waivers and he actually becomes submissive to Eve. Eve herself is wanton, vain, and basically not very smart. Milton believed women should be submissive to their husbands and that they were the source of the world's problems (due to his own life experiences), and blatantly shows this through Eve's actions. Probably the most interesting concepts to go along with Milton's characters was the way physical degeneration mirrored moral degeneration. As Satan moved away from his angelic origins and became increasingly evil, the animals he shape-shifted into also degenerated, from an angel to a serpent. Adam and Eve lost their perfect angelic looks once they ate of the Tree of Knowledge, and the culmination of the rebel angels' degeneration happens when Satan returns from Eden and they all transform against their will into monsters.
"...the ascent is easy, then."
Connection to Ancient Epics: Milton connected many of the classic Biblical stories to classic Greek epics by making references to Greek myths. For example, the Son himself defeats Satan and his rebel angels in battle by riding in on a chariot and striking them with lightning bolts.
"The mind itself is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..."
All in all, despite the horrendously difficult language (although it did get better as I got used to it, I must say) I definitely enjoyed this book and appreciated what Milton was trying to do. I wouldn't have picked it up if I didn't need to read it for school, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it! :)
P.S. As I wrote this review, my cat was laying on my left arm and purring the entire time...
July 2, 2017
Any lover of epic poetry, and the likes of Hesiod, Homer, Virgil,and Dante, will certainly enjoy Paradise Lost, Milton's contribution to the western poetic canon. Seeking nothing less than to justify the ways of God to man, Milton recounts in verse the rebellion of Satan and his angels, their subsequent expulsion from heaven (courtesy of the Son of God), and Satan's vengeance against God in the form of his moral poisoning of God's newest and most favored creation - mankind.
I loved much of the imagery Milton creates. I was hooked from the very beginning, when Satan and his followers, newly banished to Hell, hold a meeting in the hall of Pandemonium to debate whether they should hazard a second attempt to overthrow the Almighty, but instead resolve to send Satan on an odyssey to learn more about God's rumored new creation.
Much has been made about how sympathetic of a character Milton's Satan is. Integral to the discussion is the fact that Milton was an ardent republican, and served in the interregnum government of Oliver Cromwell after the overthrow and execution of Charles I. The dialogue in which Satan and those angels still loyal to God discuss freedom, the legitimacy of God's rule, and the necessity of rebellion, all have to be approached in this context. Was this poem an "apology" of sorts to the restored monarchy of England; a way of demonstrating how easy it is for well-meaning people to get caught up in causes which seem noble, but are in practice ruinous? Or, as others have suggested, was Milton really on the Devil's side, brooding over the lost cause of republicanism?
Also of interest are Milton's views on women. It is made abundantly clear, in the characters of Adam and Eve, that Adam exists to serve God, and Eve exists to serve Adam. This will inevitably rub modern readers the wrong way. It is interesting that when Eve first sees Adam, she flees from him, deciding that she would rather look at her own reflection in the water. Adam essentially has to convince her that although men are not as easy on the eyes as women, God nonetheless made the two of them to be together. Women are taken to be pure and somewhat childish people, to be put on a pedestal and admired, but not to be trusted with critical decisions - these must be deferred to the man. Hardly worth mentioning is the fact that in the poem, as in scripture, it is Eve who first tastes the forbidden fruit, before convincing Adam to follow suit.
Milton's language takes some getting used to, but once the reader gets used to it, which doesn't take long, it turns out to be exquisite and beautiful. If you love language, Milton's latinized prose and wordplay are a treat.
I loved much of the imagery Milton creates. I was hooked from the very beginning, when Satan and his followers, newly banished to Hell, hold a meeting in the hall of Pandemonium to debate whether they should hazard a second attempt to overthrow the Almighty, but instead resolve to send Satan on an odyssey to learn more about God's rumored new creation.
Much has been made about how sympathetic of a character Milton's Satan is. Integral to the discussion is the fact that Milton was an ardent republican, and served in the interregnum government of Oliver Cromwell after the overthrow and execution of Charles I. The dialogue in which Satan and those angels still loyal to God discuss freedom, the legitimacy of God's rule, and the necessity of rebellion, all have to be approached in this context. Was this poem an "apology" of sorts to the restored monarchy of England; a way of demonstrating how easy it is for well-meaning people to get caught up in causes which seem noble, but are in practice ruinous? Or, as others have suggested, was Milton really on the Devil's side, brooding over the lost cause of republicanism?
Also of interest are Milton's views on women. It is made abundantly clear, in the characters of Adam and Eve, that Adam exists to serve God, and Eve exists to serve Adam. This will inevitably rub modern readers the wrong way. It is interesting that when Eve first sees Adam, she flees from him, deciding that she would rather look at her own reflection in the water. Adam essentially has to convince her that although men are not as easy on the eyes as women, God nonetheless made the two of them to be together. Women are taken to be pure and somewhat childish people, to be put on a pedestal and admired, but not to be trusted with critical decisions - these must be deferred to the man. Hardly worth mentioning is the fact that in the poem, as in scripture, it is Eve who first tastes the forbidden fruit, before convincing Adam to follow suit.
Milton's language takes some getting used to, but once the reader gets used to it, which doesn't take long, it turns out to be exquisite and beautiful. If you love language, Milton's latinized prose and wordplay are a treat.
April 18, 2010
Note that this is only a review of Paradise Lost. Lycidas and Samson Agonistes are also included in this volume. They are both great in their own right, but fall beyond the scope of this review.
Paradise Lost is truely, truely great, and anything that I could say in this review would only do it an injustice.
The Language is daunting, yes. It's stilted, latinate English that would have sounded overblown when it was written, but my word. I can excuse all that and more in this, because it's the language that makes it all work. The words seem to fit, giving everything a sort of primal power that's fitting to a poem that seeks to 'justify the ways of God to men,' and to change any of it, would somehow diminish it.
This might be hero worship, because I frankly and freely admit to be a slobbering Milton fanboy. But it's an amazing journey that rewards all the struggles that you make to get though it. The coucil of hell and the confrontation between Satan, Sin and Death in book two; Milton's introduction to book three, and his meditation on his blindness there; Satan's ultimate renunciation of all good, in his pursuit of revenge, in book four; Raphael's war stories to Adam. Adam's constant sort of bumbling self-importance and Eve's patient eye rolling at Adam's condescension.
It's an amazing work, with full, complete characterizations, beautifully crafted dialogue, and moments of transcendent literary beauty where all that you can do is wonder at Milton's mastery of his language.
It really amazes me that this hasn't been made into a movie, but knowing everything that would be cut out to make it work, it makes me glad that it hasn't. It's a work as full and complete as anything else in the history of language and one of the only books that made me want to turn it over and read it though again immediately after finishing it.
Five stars. It really is that good.
Paradise Lost is truely, truely great, and anything that I could say in this review would only do it an injustice.
The Language is daunting, yes. It's stilted, latinate English that would have sounded overblown when it was written, but my word. I can excuse all that and more in this, because it's the language that makes it all work. The words seem to fit, giving everything a sort of primal power that's fitting to a poem that seeks to 'justify the ways of God to men,' and to change any of it, would somehow diminish it.
This might be hero worship, because I frankly and freely admit to be a slobbering Milton fanboy. But it's an amazing journey that rewards all the struggles that you make to get though it. The coucil of hell and the confrontation between Satan, Sin and Death in book two; Milton's introduction to book three, and his meditation on his blindness there; Satan's ultimate renunciation of all good, in his pursuit of revenge, in book four; Raphael's war stories to Adam. Adam's constant sort of bumbling self-importance and Eve's patient eye rolling at Adam's condescension.
It's an amazing work, with full, complete characterizations, beautifully crafted dialogue, and moments of transcendent literary beauty where all that you can do is wonder at Milton's mastery of his language.
It really amazes me that this hasn't been made into a movie, but knowing everything that would be cut out to make it work, it makes me glad that it hasn't. It's a work as full and complete as anything else in the history of language and one of the only books that made me want to turn it over and read it though again immediately after finishing it.
Five stars. It really is that good.
August 14, 2015
The works of Milton are one of those things I had always wanted to read yet never seemed to get around to. I have no idea how I made it through high school without reading more than excerpts, but that is what happened. I remember one of my friends reading Paradise Lost, and he was in the gifted class, so maybe those of us who were less gifted got the shaft. In any case, as it is with any major poet, oceans of ink have been spilled upon the man and his works. There is nothing meaningful I can add in this regard, except to recommend the University of South Carolina’s Milton page, which does include some in-depth information as well as some gorgeous images about the poet and his era: http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/britlit/...
I greatly enjoyed this book. I had expected Milton to be dry (a Puritan poet seems almost an oxymoron) as religious poetry sometimes suffers from its lack of creativity, relying, rather, on truth than artistic merit to carry it. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but this book does not fall within this category. This version is glossed, which I appreciate since my 17th century understanding of the English language is not especially grand. I was happy that I recognized almost all of the biblical references without looking at the footnotes. As with most books of a literary nature, recognizing some of the allusions makes me wonder how many I am missing, although the glossed version rectifies this fear somewhat.
Anyone interested in poetry or important English or world literature should read this book. Milton is not old hat nor is he overly difficult. He has been established long enough for there to be many articles and glossaries about his work, and these can help the reader digest the poems. I loved this book, and I hope you do, too.
I greatly enjoyed this book. I had expected Milton to be dry (a Puritan poet seems almost an oxymoron) as religious poetry sometimes suffers from its lack of creativity, relying, rather, on truth than artistic merit to carry it. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but this book does not fall within this category. This version is glossed, which I appreciate since my 17th century understanding of the English language is not especially grand. I was happy that I recognized almost all of the biblical references without looking at the footnotes. As with most books of a literary nature, recognizing some of the allusions makes me wonder how many I am missing, although the glossed version rectifies this fear somewhat.
Anyone interested in poetry or important English or world literature should read this book. Milton is not old hat nor is he overly difficult. He has been established long enough for there to be many articles and glossaries about his work, and these can help the reader digest the poems. I loved this book, and I hope you do, too.
March 25, 2009
Paradise Lost was one of the most amazing books I've ever read! It was interesting to see the beginning of the world though a novel. I felt it gave new depth to the actual account in Gen./Moses.
I read a chacter and plot synopsis off of Sparksnotes before reading it, and that helped a lot. Adam and Michael were two seperate people, so it made me less confused on who was who.
There were MANY things that were wrong in this story, but the language made up for its faults. I thought it was easier to understand than Shakespeare.
I felt that God was a little too...aloof? non-understanding? Lacking? It was interesting that God and Jesus were two seperate beings.
I liked the fact that Satan, Death, and Sin were family members. It was also cool that after Adam and Eve ate the fruit, Sin and Death built a bridge from Hell to Earth. I thought it symbolized sin and death entering the world rather well.
Adam was too arrogant and stupid, while Eve was self loathing. Adam didn't treat her very well... I think our first parents were a little more equal and held more respect for each other than this book portrayed. Eve was almost worshipful of Adam.
Again, it was an amazing book! I will most likely read it again.
I read a chacter and plot synopsis off of Sparksnotes before reading it, and that helped a lot. Adam and Michael were two seperate people, so it made me less confused on who was who.
There were MANY things that were wrong in this story, but the language made up for its faults. I thought it was easier to understand than Shakespeare.
I felt that God was a little too...aloof? non-understanding? Lacking? It was interesting that God and Jesus were two seperate beings.
I liked the fact that Satan, Death, and Sin were family members. It was also cool that after Adam and Eve ate the fruit, Sin and Death built a bridge from Hell to Earth. I thought it symbolized sin and death entering the world rather well.
Adam was too arrogant and stupid, while Eve was self loathing. Adam didn't treat her very well... I think our first parents were a little more equal and held more respect for each other than this book portrayed. Eve was almost worshipful of Adam.
Again, it was an amazing book! I will most likely read it again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2010
Satan I get you. You feel you were treated unfairly. But instead of communicating those feelings to the group, you went ahead and started a war, got yourself kicked out of heaven, disfigured and now your stuck in hell.
Forever!
So the big G decided to have a few pets (Adam, Eve etc.)
No big deal! You had a good thing going.
But NOooo! you had to go get all jealous and outspoken. Now what? War? Really? Do you really think you have a chance... in hell?
*Authors note: LMAO :)
Nope, you know you don't.
Forever!
So the big G decided to have a few pets (Adam, Eve etc.)
No big deal! You had a good thing going.
But NOooo! you had to go get all jealous and outspoken. Now what? War? Really? Do you really think you have a chance... in hell?
*Authors note: LMAO :)
Nope, you know you don't.
Currently reading
April 4, 2008This book has an interesting perspective on the devil. There is a line in there that I thought was particularly masterful:
"The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n."
I haven't got the hang of the rhyme yet, but the words are majestic and broad (albeit a little difficult to decipher in its entirety). I'm looking forward to finishing it.
"The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n."
I haven't got the hang of the rhyme yet, but the words are majestic and broad (albeit a little difficult to decipher in its entirety). I'm looking forward to finishing it.
September 7, 2009
This poem has a reassuring, dreammlike meter and beautiful imagery. I'm pondering how Adam and Eve both wanted to know God, but took different approaches: Adam wanted to know God through philosophical or worshipful methods, while Eve took the shortcut of eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Where's the sin, Eve asked?
February 27, 2012
I am only part way through, but just the descriptions of the generation of Sin and Death are worth reading the book. The language that Milton uses is beautifully precise, although it does not always create beautiful pictures.
June 25, 2008
Turly an epic, that's for sure. Milton's language is poetry at its best--sweeping, dramatic, and fully of beauty and substance. I'm not a religious person, but I can say that I've been to sunday school and mass, and this book was a much more entertaining way to read about god.
December 4, 2016
While his use of language and creating an interesting story can be looked upon with praise, his portrayal of Eve is nothing short of appalling. I realize it would be impossible for someone not in the 20th century to portray 20th century ideals, but still. It's appalling.
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