Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics) by John Milton - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

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Debate Religion: Question for Christians	109	71	2 days ago, 09:50PM

Patrick rated it:

04/18/07

bookshelves: fiction, literary

Read in October, 1994

Portions of this book were assigned for my Brit Lit class. I read about half of the assigned portions. I was distracted at the time by various events in life and wasn't yet a very good student.

My professor had done his PhD work on Milton and taught with a contagious passion. So much passion that I decided, after the discussion was over, to buy the whole book. During our five day Fall break in my sophomore year I sat on the front lawn of my college and read Paradise Lost. Nonstop, gettin...more

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Meg rated it:

06/21/07

bookshelves: classics, had-to-for-college

in middle school i had seen this book lying around the house and for some reason it struck me as very impressive. i didn't ever want to read it but i wanted to give off the impression that i was the type of person who would read it. i did this with a few other books too (catcher in the rye, on the road, ect.) i carried it to school so that teachers would see it in my possession and prominently displayed it on my bedside table to let friends and family know.

after actually reading the book fo...more

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Brandon rated it:

(review of isbn 0393924289)

05/21/08

bookshelves: classics

WOW! I had never read Milton until I was forced to in my Chaucer/Shakespeare/Milton class and I was blown away! I absolutely loved this epic poem! Milton was the best educated man in England at this time. He spoke or read every European language and even dabbled in Algonquin. He was part of the Cromwell government and wrote a lot of political tracts that contain the roots of much of the political philosophy that is the foundation of our country. In a scathing political pamphlet called The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates,...more WOW! I had never read Milton until I was forced to in my Chaucer/Shakespeare/Milton class and I was blown away! I absolutely loved this epic poem! Milton was the best educated man in England at this time. He spoke or read every European language and even dabbled in Algonquin. He was part of the Cromwell government and wrote a lot of political tracts that contain the roots of much of the political philosophy that is the foundation of our country. In a scathing political pamphlet called The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, Milton wrote, “all men naturally were born free, being the image and resemblance of God himself…and they lived so until from the root of Adam’s transgression, falling among themselves to doe wrong and violence…they agreed by common league to bind each other from mutual injury." Milton believed very strongly that governments were necessary to protect men from their own vices, but that the “power of the Kings…is nothing else, but what is onely derivative, transferred and committed to them in trust from the people, to the common good of them all, in whom the power yet remains fundamentally." While this concept of executive power is widely accepted in western society today, it was far from the mainstream for seventeenth century England; where the prevailing philosophy was that the king’s right to rule came from God alone. One of the many purposes of Paradise Lost was a medium through which Milton could present his radical political views. In it he argues that men should ideally rule themselves in small familial groups, but because of men’s vices, they must set up stronger governmental systems. He uses Satan, whom he associates with Charles II, as the model of power unrighteously wielded, and sets up Christ as the model of proper authority.
In book four, Milton describes Adam and Eve’s character before the fall, “Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure / Severe, but in true filial freedom placed / Whence true authority in men." Eve is submissive to Adam (at first) and, because Adam is submissive to God, he rules gently and correctly over Eve. In this state, men are in a state of freedom. A natural hierarchy exists in the patriarchal order of the family. It is the “true authority of men” because it mirrors man’s relationship with God. Later, in book twelve, Milton makes this point clearer as Michael shows to Adam the decedents of Noah who “Shall spend their days in joy unblamed and dwell / Long time in peace by families and tribes / Under paternal rule." Milton sees this natural paternal order as the idyllic form of governing mankind, and the one that allows the most freedom and peace for the individual.
Of course this peaceful set up cannot last, and in the very next sentence Nimrod “arrogates dominion undeserved” to himself and becomes the first King. This new form of authority is a rebellion from the natural power structure of family rule. It makes the many people on the bottom of the hierarchy slaves to the few on top. While this argument could be brought against most rulers throughout history, Milton implicates Charles II specifically in this description of Nimrod by saying, “from rebellion shall derive his name / Though of rebellion others he accuse." This refers to the restoration of Charles to the throne after the Commonwealth collapsed, after which many of the leaders of Cromwell’s government were hanged as traitorous rebels.
Throughout Paradise Lost, Milton makes clear that he is not just critiquing monarchy, but Charles II in particular. He goes so far as to associate Charles with Satan himself. For example, in book one, Milton describes Charles’ heady lifestyle in connection with Satan's brood, “In courts and palaces he also reigns / And in luxurious cities where the noise / Of riot ascends above their loftiest tow’rs…witness the streets of Sodom." Although Milton surely disapproved of this sort of heady living, it is not the main reason that he condemned Charles’ authority. It is Charles’ claim to divine right that so irks Milton, and he uses Satan to show how spurious this claim is, “Me though just right and the fixed laws of Heav’n / Did first create your leader." Later, Adam counters this assertion with Milton’s sentiments, “But man over men / He made not lord, such title to himself / Reserving” (XII.69-71).
Book five shows that Satan assembled his crew of demons with the intent that they would help him get what he wanted. In fact, he assembled his leadership together under the false story that they were going to have a council on how best to “receive our King / The great Messiah. He has no thought of the wellbeing of those who follow him, but instead beguiles them with “counterfeited truth” to fight so that Satan can become as God. Satan does not serve them, they serve him; and follow him to their eternal damnation. For Milton, the real evil in monarchy is that inevitably the king will stop seeing himself as the servant of the people, and begin seeing the people as his servants. Compare this to the approach that The Son takes.
Christ willingly accepts the role as savior to mankind; knowing that it will mean his death as God’s sacrificial lamb. It is only after this acceptance to be the servant of men that God gives Christ his divine authority: “Therefore thy humiliation shall exalt / With Thee thy manhood also to this throne…All power I give thee." According to this model, an executive should have as his motivation the welfare of the people over whom he lords. It is only through his service to the people that he receives and maintains authority. This is the model that Milton would have earthly governments follow; and if the executive of the nation, whatever title he may bear, does not serve the good of the people, they have the right to select one who will.
Though the Commonwealth for which Milton argued so strongly eventually failed, he, like Christ, found a greater victory in defeat. Milton’s political views espoused in Paradise Lost eventually won over England and most of western society. Thomas Paine used very similar verbiage in his extremely influential political tract Common Sense “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.” And then later he says. “Here then is the rise and origin of government; namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world.” This is the philosophical bedrock of the concept of a limited government. The idea that powers of government ought to be limited to only that which the people cannot do themselves, and to let people govern themselves as much as possible, is one of the foundational philosophies of the Republican Party today. One can even read Milton in our Declaration of Independence, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.” The reach of his work has far surpassed the “fit…though few” audience he envisioned for it. It is a part of our everyday lives. I can’t say whether this idea originated with Milton, but his inclusion of it in Paradise Lost, with its widespread sway in England and here in the US, gave it great influence; which we still feel today.

Beyond his political views I was astounded at his theology. I agreed with the vast majority of his doctrinal positions including a trinity of seperate indivduals; God the Father, Jesus Christ and The Holy Ghost (whom he invokes as the muse in good epic fasion). Jesus and several archangels make the earth under the direction of the Father. Satan rebels because of pride and attempts to usurp the Father's athourity, taking a third of the angels of heaven with him. Christ was chosen as the savior in a council in heaven. Men can only be forgiven through the stonement of Christ and through personal repentance...I could go on. He was so ahead of his time in this arena as well.
The last thing I wanted to mention was his use of Satan playing the classical hero. Satatn displays the atributes of a classical hero along the lines of Odysseus, and Achiles. Milton does this so that he can show what true heroism is; as modeled by Christ. For Milton the true hero was humble, a servant of the people (which was his ideal for a governmental executive), and found his stregnth in obedience to god's will. He shows throughout the book how the new Christian heroic model is superior to the old classical model of physical prowess, cunning deception, and courtly lover. (for more on this subject I recommend Steadman's Milton and the Renaissance Hero.)
It's to bad that Milton is no longer read today as much as it was from the time he wrote it to the twentieth century. It is a true classic, and contains so much that is foundational to our culture still today.
If you need help on all of the allusions and classical references in Pardise Lost I recommend this website sponsored by Dartmouth College http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milt... It was very helpful with some of the obscure references....less

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Karen rated it:

07/26/08

bookshelves: assigned-reading, fiction

Now that I’ve made my little speech for Dante’s Inferno about disagreeing with a work yet still admiring it as a literary and cultural contribution… I confess my antagonism against Paradise Lost. It’s hard for me to think of another book for which my feelings run so hot. I understand that Lost is generally appreciated for all number of reasons, but I was pretty upset with it and could hardly complete the reading assignment for my literature class. (And when I can’...more

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Incendiaryrose rated it:

04/24/08

bookshelves: finished-classics

Read in April, 2008

I hope no fan of Milton ever reads this review. And if you are a fan of Milton, go find one of many other reviews that will be a little better to your liking.

Had I read this book with the perspective of a student, or perhaps even as a potential instructor, I suspect my view of the twelve-book poem would have been far more favorable. As it was, I did not. Rather I read it as myself, a person who is rather sarcastic and critical of most things, but especially continuity errors.

I found m...more I hope no fan of Milton ever reads this review. And if you are a fan of Milton, go find one of many other reviews that will be a little better to your liking.

Had I read this book with the perspective of a student, or perhaps even as a potential instructor, I suspect my view of the twelve-book poem would have been far more favorable. As it was, I did not. Rather I read it as myself, a person who is rather sarcastic and critical of most things, but especially continuity errors.

I found myself stumbling not on the poetry, but on such things as the lengthy description of the pantheon of pandemonium being made with mined gold, wrought with comments on greed and how all those who look for such riches are doomed. This is impressed rather heavily, to be followed by the sun being made with gold and precious gems, heaven being full of similar wealth, and even Christ's chariot of 'sparkles dire' is studded with precious stones and capped with a sapphire throne (book six, line 750 starts you off on the description of the chariot).

Were I reading this as a student, I could probably make excuses for the different standards of wealth. I could probably even attempt to justify why Adam and Eve seem to gain absolutely nothing from eating the fruit of knowledge. Adam says often beforehand how working in the garden is good. They are told of Satan's presence in the garden and recognize this as being something to fear. Thus, they know of good and evil. After the fruit, the only alteration is a lustful interlude, to be followed by argument over it. Another angelic intervention where they are told everything to come, and they wander away in sorrowful hope. The Angels are thus the ones who are conveyors of knowledge, not the fruit of knowledge. And so, with Milton, it might as well be the Fruit of Lust and Damnation.

As it stands, and as I have read it, Paradise Lost was not what I would call an enjoyable work. I find no great epiphanies in it, or divine inspiration. I find a great deal of misogyny and even more references to classical myths that, if I didn't know it was perfectly fine in Milton's time to interweave Christianity and Greco-Roman myth, I would find a bit off. In total, it read like a rather bad biblical fanfiction with heavy crossover.

That being said, Paradise Lost is still a good work to read. For even if it strains my patience and sarcasm, it also gives an excellent perspective on quite a few quotes and characterizations that were to come after. In a way, the book is less important than what people have done with it over the years....less

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Clint rated it:

(review of isbn 0393924289)

06/19/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: People who like reading about the devil

Let's face it, John Milton was a closet devil-worshiper. Satan here is presented so sympathetically it's hard to think otherwise. He has the best lines, and even his actions would be laudable by most Christian standards (excepting, of course, starting a war in heaven). He never gives up, he fights for what he believes in, he's really clever, and he even pities humans for having to be his tools to get back at God. The good angels come off as such sissies and are always really smug and self-sa...more

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Aeisele rated it:

07/08/08

bookshelves: poetry

Read in July, 2008

Kierkegaard once said of Hegel's philosophic system that if at the end Hegel had said this was all a big thought experiment and joke, then Kierkegaard would have thought Hegel the most brilliant of philosophers. Of course, for Hegel it wasn't a joke, but I feel the same way about Milton's Christianity. This is really a caricature of Christianity, an imaginative attempt, perhaps, but laughable as a discussion of the realities. It was also one of the most misogynistic books I've ever read.
Wh...more

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Brianne rated it:

(review of isbn 0393924289)

06/15/08

Read in May, 2008

I am not Christian so I didn't have any of the guilt some readers might feel when they start to root for Satan at the start of this poem. He seems kind of dreamy in a tall, dark, handsome and...umm...evil sort of way. So yeah, if you believe in what the bible says, he really screwed things up for us. But if he hadn't, I probably wouldn't have so much fun when I drink. On the other hand, I am not a big fan of that whole sleeping with his own daughter, Sin and spawning Death and then Death sleepin...more

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John rated it:

08/31/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: Poetry readers, epics readers, classics readers, literary readers, religious readers

Normally I dislike poetry for its highly artificial language and deviations from quality storytelling, but some poets created true and undeniable beauty from the artform. Paradise Lost is such a work. It nails its subject matter, picking up after the fall of Satan, showing the first debate in the court of Hell, the original love of Adam and Eve, their fall, the new love between them once fallen, and most sweet of all, the love of Christ – it’s not a poem of original sin, but original ...more

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Keely rated it:

12/15/07

bookshelves: epic-poetry, poetry

Read in November, 2005

Milton wrote this while blind, and claimed that the work was one of a divine inspiration which came to him in the night. If there is any modern text of the quality to be believably added into the Bible, it is this one. Indeed, as it outlines portions of that book which, thanks to the basis of combined mythic stories, are never explored. 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 be a failure, as I ...more Milton wrote this while blind, and claimed that the work was one of a divine inspiration which came to him in the night. If there is any modern text of the quality to be believably added into the Bible, it is this one. Indeed, as it outlines portions of that book which, thanks to the basis of combined mythic stories, are never explored. 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 be a failure, as I shall later try to explain.

So, the question remains: even if the vatican did not decide to explicitly include it, why are there not smaller sects which we expect should have sprung up around such and inspiring and daring work? The answer is that one need not explicitly include something when it has been included implicitly. It is not common to take Milton's view of events as accurate because it was derived from the Bible, and not recognize that most of it is entirely 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 or 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 with verses from Revelation taken out of context for support. 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 subvert that concept to show that 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 and defeated. Unfortunately for Milton, this requires that one absolutely believe this assertion without ever testing it. Anyone who believes it unquestioningly (such as C.S. Lewis) is bound to find that the Devil is foolish to question the natural order.

However, Milton himself states that the Devil had no choice but to doubt, and that with our own rational arguments, man cannot help doubting either. In this case, we must then fall in with Blake, and agree that Milton was the Devil's man, but never knew it.

The strength of Paradise Lost is that both of these views stand well-supported, even though Milton may have sided himself with one more than the other. It is a great book of questions, and a book which is entirely demanding on the reader to think and to 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 enjoy, and who we must fight daily to overcome.

What he may not have realized is that the Devil is doubt, and that doubt will always deconstruct and old answer and indicate 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 answer to doubt is always ignorance: either in believing, or in not believing....less

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Shawn rated it:

05/19/08

Read in January, 2005

As Dante's Divine Comedy is considered the greatest poem of the Italian language, I consider Paradise Lost to be one of the greatest works of English literature. There is an inexplicable sense of the sublime when reading a work of someone who completely commands a language. The cosmology of the universe as imagined by Milton is breath-taking, especially considering 17th century people didn't have a collective consciousness of the universe as we do with cinematic special effects and NASA photo ga...more

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Lilyanne rated it:

10/23/07

Read in November, 2002

I have no religious background. It was Milton that got me asking all the big questions. I remember getting into this long debate with my Dad in 12th grade after I read Book 9 (the Fall) about why God wanted us to be ignorant. And then I understood that God’s greatest gift to man was that of free will (at least in Milton’s POV). And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Beautiful imagery of light and darkness. Brilliant narrative technique of telling the story directly after the ...more

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Shaindel rated it:

09/13/07

When I was in undergrad, I actually wanted to be a Milton scholar... We won't get into why I changed tack here. "Lycidas" is still the most beautiful poem--Ever.

"Paradise Lost" is what epic poetry is meant to be. It's influenced our society more than most people realize. It was Milton who first characterized the "Forbidden Fruit" as an apple; who first coined the term "All Hell broke loose"--when the demons are wreaking havoc in Pandemonium, and ...more

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Ginnie marked it as to-read (review of isbn 1573834262)

12/01/08

bookshelves: literature, poetry, to-read

Stanley Fish in an article in the NYT titled : "Paradise Lost" In Prose argues that this edition is a bad idea for any but classroom use.

"Dennis Danielson, a distinguished Miltonist, has just published a translation of “Paradise Lost.” Into what language?, you ask. Into English, is the answer.

Danielson is well aware that it might seem odd to translate a poem into the language in which it is already written. Dryden turned some of “Paradise Lost” into r...more Stanley Fish in an article in the NYT titled : "Paradise Lost" In Prose argues that this edition is a bad idea for any but classroom use.

"Dennis Danielson, a distinguished Miltonist, has just published a translation of “Paradise Lost.” Into what language?, you ask. Into English, is the answer.

Danielson is well aware that it might seem odd to translate a poem into the language in which it is already written. Dryden turned some of “Paradise Lost” into rhymed verse for a libretto while Milton was still alive; but that was an adaptation, not a translation. There are of course the Classic Comics and Cliff Notes precedents; but these are abridgments designed for the students who don’t have time to, or don’t want to, read the book. Danielson’s is a word-for-word translation, probably longer than the original since its prose unpacks a very dense poetry. The value of his edition, he says, is that it “invites more readers than ever before to enjoy the magnificent story — to experience the grandeur, heroism, pathos, beauty and grace of Milton’s inimitable work.”

Danielson borrows the word “inimitable” from John Wesley, who in 1763 was already articulating the justification for a prose translation of the poem. Wesley reports that in the competition for the title of world’s greatest poem, “the preference has generally been given by impartial judges to Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’” but, he laments, “this inimitable work amidst all its beauties is unintelligible to [an:] abundance of readers.” Two hundred and fifty years later, Harold Bloom made the same observation. Ordinary readers, he said, now “require mediation to read ‘Paradise Lost’ with full appreciation.”

What features of the poem require mediation? Danielson’s answer is the “linguistic obscurity” from which he proposes to “free” the story so that today’s readers can read it “in their own language.” By their own language he doesn’t mean the language of some “with-it” slang, but a language less Latinate in its syntax and less archaic in its diction than the original (which was archaic and stylized when it was written). Milton’s language is not like Chaucer’s — a dialect modern readers must learn; it is our language structured into a syntax more convoluted than the syntax of ordinary speech, but less convoluted or cryptic than the syntax of modern poets like Hart Crane, Wallace Stevens and John Ashbery."

So am I going to read this? probably not, but I'm open to persuasive arguments either way.
...less

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Steve marked it as to-read (review of isbn 0451628268)

11/22/08

bookshelves: to-read

Classic work: Of Man's first disobedience and the fruit Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste Brought death into the world and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till on greater Man Restore us and regain the blissful seat Sing, Heavenly Muse... Not a lot people know that 'Paradise Lost' has as a much lesser known companion piece 'Paradise Regained'; of course, it was true during Milton's time as it is today that the more ha...more Classic work: Of Man's first disobedience and the fruit Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste Brought death into the world and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till on greater Man Restore us and regain the blissful seat Sing, Heavenly Muse... Not a lot people know that 'Paradise Lost' has as a much lesser known companion piece 'Paradise Regained'; of course, it was true during Milton's time as it is today that the more harrowing and juicy the story, the better it will likely be remembered and received. This is not to cast any aspersion on this great poem, however. It has been called, with some justification, the greatest English epic poem. The line above, the first lines of the first book of the poem, is typical of the style throughout the epic, in vocabulary and syntax, in allusiveness. The word order tends toward the Latinate, with the object coming first and the verb coming after. Milton follows many classical examples by personifying characters such as Death, Chaos, Mammon, and Sin. These characters interact with the more traditional Christian characters of Adam, Eve, Satan, various angels, and God. He takes as his basis the basic biblical text of the creation and fall of humanity (thus, 'Paradise Lost'), which has taken such hold in the English-speaking world that many images have attained in the popular mind an almost biblical truth to them (in much the same way that popular images of Hell owe much to Dante's Inferno). The text of Genesis was very much in vogue in the mid-1600s (much as it is today) and Paradise Lost attained an almost instant acclaim. John Milton was an English cleric, a protestant who nonetheless had a great affinity for catholic Italy, and this duality of interests shows in much of his creative writing as well as his religious tracts. Milton was nicknamed 'the divorcer' in his early career for writing a pamphlet that supported various civil liberties, including the right to obtain a civil divorce on the grounds of incompatibility, a very unpopular view for the day. Milton held a diplomatic post under the Commonwealth, and wrote defenses of the governments action, including the right of people to depose and dispose of a bad king. Paradise Lost has a certain oral-epic quality to it, and for good reason. Milton lost his eyesight in 1652, and thus had to dictate the poem to several different assistants. Though influenced heavily by the likes of Virgil, Homer, and Dante, he differentiated himself in style and substance by concentrating on more humanist elements. Say first -- for Heaven hides nothing from thy view, Nor the deep tract of Hell -- say first what cause Moved our grand Parents, in that happy state, Favoured of Heaven so highly, to fall off From their Creator and transgress his will, For one restraint, lords of the world besides? Milton drops us from the beginning into the midst of the action, for the story is well known already, and proceeds during the course of the books (Milton's original had 10, but the traditional epic had 12 books, so some editions broke books VII and X into two books each) to both push the action forward and to give developing background -- how Satan came to be in Hell, after the war in heaven a description that includes perhaps the currently-most-famous line: Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition though in hell: Better to reign in hell, that serve in heav'n. (Impress your friends by knowing that this comes from Book I, lines 261-263 of Paradise Lost, rather than a Star Trek episode!) The imagery of warfare and ambition in the angels, God's wisdom and power and wrath, the very human characterisations of Adam and Eve, and the development beyond Eden make a very compelling story, done with such grace of language that makes this a true classic for the ages. The magnificence of creation, the darkness and empty despair of hell, the manipulativeness of evil and the corruptible innocence of humanity all come through as classic themes. The final books of the epic recount a history of humanity, now sinful, as Paradise has been lost, a history in tune with typical Renaissance renderings, which also, in Milton's religious convictions, will lead to the eventual destruction of this world and a new creation. A great work that takes some effort to comprehend, but yields great rewards for those who stay the course. This collection includes Samson Agonistes, one of the best Greek-style tragedies done in English, based on the biblical character of Samson. It also includes the poem Lycidas, a pastoral poem written specifically for the death of Edward King, a Cambridge student who died by drowning, but which includes a greater sense of universal longing and lost hope. Edward le Comte has provided a worthwhile introduction to the poems and a brief biography of Milton....less

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John rated it:

04/22/08

bookshelves: childrens-or-read-as-a-kid, classics, codswallop, plays-and-poetry

I studied this for English Literature..and oh my... how I simply loathed it.

I still hate it today and I hold it personally responsible for the manner in which I detest romantic poetry.

Vile absolutely vile...

It has not one single redeeming feature.... except the warmth you feel from its flames as it burns merrily on the garden brazier... aaaahh!

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Elle rated it:

03/19/08

I love that I can give Paradise Lost a 3 out of 5. Here's the thing: I can appreciate certain works of literature and understand their value, but that does not mean that reading them is a torturous experience. Like Spencer's "the Faerie Queen," this epic poem does not enthrall me. You can blame it on my indifference towards early modern literature.

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Anna rated it:

12/25/08

Read in December, 2008

recommends it for: Classics readers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I'd been meaning to read this in its entirety for years and finishing it during Advent seemed appropriate. IS it a masterful epic with gripping language and a great topic? Yes. Did I like it? Not quite but am glad I finally read it all the way through.
My main problems: 1) the presentation of Eve as a dimwit who gets no word from God is repulsive. If Eve is supposed to be the mother of mankind, why create her so utterly devoid of charm and real grace? Eve only becomes mildly interesting ...more

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Richard rated it:

(review of isbn 0140424261)

12/20/08

There was a reason why I wanted to read this. Buggered if I can remember what it was now. One of the most tedious and humourless things I've ever had the misfortune to read.

Unless someone is forcing you to read it - and I don't mean, say, a tutor, I mean if someone is actually threatening your life unless you wade through it - don't. Awful awful awful. Gives one a new appreciation for Shakespeare and Chaucer actually. Whilst the "comedy" in those two tends towards punning and...more

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Manny rated it:

12/01/08

Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics)

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Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics)

book data

new topic discuss this book

friend reviews

lists with this book

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 7215)

new topic
discuss this book