Milton's Paradise Lost

Christian Guides to the Classics

by Leland Ryken

We’ve all heard about the classics and assume they’re great. Some of us have even read them on our own. But for those of us who remain a bit intimidated or simply want to get more out of our reading, Crossway’s Christian Guides to the Classics are here to help.

In these short guidebooks, popular professor, author, and literary expert Leland Ryken takes you through some of the greatest literature in history while answering your questions along the way.

Each book:
Includes an introduction to the author and work
Explains the cultural context
Incorporates published criticism
Contains discussion questions at the end of each unit of the text
Defines key literary terms
Lists resources for further study
Evaluates the classic text from a Christian worldview

This particular guide opens up the paramount epic in the English language, Milton’s Paradise Lost, and showcases Milton’s understanding of crime and punishment in the events of creation, paradisal perfection, the fall, and redemption.

Genres: Literature, Classics, Theology, Literary Criticism, Poetry, Religion, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2013

About the author

Dr. Ryken has served on the faculty of Wheaton College since 1968. He has published over thirty books and more than one hundred articles and essays, devoting much of his scholarship to Bible translations and the study of the Bible as literature. He served as Literary Chairman for the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible and in 2003 received the distinguished Gutenberg Award for his contributions to education, writing, and the understanding of the Bible.

He is the father of Philip Graham Ryken

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book I've read on Kindle. I own the hard copy too and copied my Kindle notes into it. This may be the last time that I read something on Kindle if I think that eventually I'll copy notes into the hard copy edition. It took way too long to do all that copying—not worth my time.

Ryken's divisions are here. No review here, but I did incorporate lots of information here into my teaching notes.

[Phil Cotnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful Christian guide to Paradise Lost. Paired with C.S. Lewis's Preface to Paradise Lost, the modern reader is well-prepared to encounter what is arguably the greatest epic poem in human literature.

[Beth Manautou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the smells of bacon cooking, this little booklet prepares the reader's palate for a tasty meal. I found myself eager to dive in once I understood what I held between the pages of this book.

This is a perfectly petite "field guide" to read along with the book, or at the beginning. It helps the reader understand several important things: Milton's impact on Literature, how his epic poem is similar and different from the previous form, and what he was attempting to accomplish.

Leland helped me to see the "grandeur of Satan" against the backdrop of one idea: doesn't evil appear to us in the form of good? Is this not why so many are easily deceived?

With little time on my hands, I was glad to have Ryken's hand as a guide to help point out the most important big ideas. The brevity of the guide will hopefully create more opportunities for thoughtful teachers to interact with concepts that will in turn profit their discussions with others.

Thank you, Leland Rykan, for drawing in my interest and teaching me how to enjoy this book!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valuable addition to reading Paradise Lost. I appreciate Lewis' commentary on this epic poem.

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a lover of literature and I love what Crossway is putting out in this regard. For any of you who haven’t noticed they’ve put a Literary Study Bible, Reinke’s Lit!, Reading Between the Lines (which I’ll be reviewing in February), and also an assortment of books like the one I’m reviewing which take a look at classic literature from a Christian perspective. If you want to understand literature from a Christian perspective a book like Ryken’s is a great service. He covers Paradise Lost in just under 90 pages--hitting all the high notes and pulling out all the beautiful themes. Paradise Lost is the premier epic in the English language It’s majestic. It’s grandiose. And it covers the biggest and most important themes and story of all time.

I’m partial to epics and love how the genre progresses. Epics can be daunting because they’re long, there’s a lot of history behind the craft, and did I mention they’re LONG? Ryken takes the mystery away and explains the techniques and history. His writing is approachable. He takes something that is beautiful and high and makes it understandable. You won’t find a better guide for Paradise Lost. If you’re looking to dive into the classics I highly recommend this book and his other guides forthcoming (Homer’s The Odyssey, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, & Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter).

[Ben Smitthimedhin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryken's summary of Milton's Paradise Lost was a lifesaver. The book did its job as a guide, although I felt like it could've been a little heavier theologically. The reflection/discussion parts were "meh" at times, hence the 4 stars. Still recommended for those that are looking to trudge through Milton's epic poem.

[JR Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable.

[Richard Klueg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide to a great classic. It was extremely helpful to read this alongside of Milton's work.

[Matthew Richey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little grumpy with recent Milton scholarship and a little overly defensive at times, but genuinely helpful and enjoyable.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource to help as a guide for Paradise Lost. Very glad I got this little book. Recommended for anyone who wants to read the epic poem Paradise Lost.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic, short, intro into the main themes and highlights of Milton's epic poems, Paradise Lost. Gold on every page!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief and at the same time very helpful to understanding the structure and genre of the poem

[Katelynn]

Very helpful to read alongside Paradise Lost. Could even be useful for a book club as he provides reflection questions. Comes from a viewpoint I appreciate.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This helpful booklet enabled me to finally make it through Milton's classic. Ryken gives many helpful insights into the book and also debunks popular myths about it (i.e., that Satan is the real hero).

After the initial background information on structure, cultural context, etc., Ryken begins his analysis of each the twelve books in Paradise Lost. He gives a plot summary (which I found helpful to read before diving into the primary source) and then breaks down each section for further explanation (which I read AFTER I attempted each book on its own). Then he follows up with questions for reflection and discussion.

In this way Ryken helped me to overcome my fear of "not getting it," without spoonfeeding me completely. It was like having a college professor by my side, leading me through the difficult bits. Well worth the few dollars I paid for it on my Kindle.

[Matt Pitts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this guide alongside of Milton's Paradise Lost made all the difference. Early on in the book I wasn't even sure who was speaking a times, but Ryken's guide helped me understand what was going on in the story as well as the larger aims Milton had in writing this epic poem. It is an excellent aid for the first-time reader.

[Allen Tsai · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful guide to Milton's Paradise Lost. I tried tackling Paradise Lost on my own and was destroyed. I made it further with this booklet, but still couldn't finish it.