John Milton's Paradise Lost

by Caroline Moore

Dr Johnson sums up the case against “the want of human interest is always felt.” It is the apparent distance of Paradise Lost from ordinary humanity that has thrilled or repelled critics throughout the ages. While many readers are carried away by Milton’s sublimity, others are daunted by his grandeur, scope and learning. Milton himself declared that he would not begin to write until he had “completed the full circle of my private studies”. The Greek word for a circle of learning is the root of “encyclopaedia”; and Milton’s erudition is encyclopaedic. Paradise Lost draws on both ancient learning and the scholarship of his day, displaying not only his deep knowledge of the Bible and Biblical scholarship, and his passionate assimilation of the classics, but also his absorption in astronomy, cosmology, geography, numerology and science. Yet many critics of Paradise Lost argue that all this circling lacks a human centre. Who, after all, is the hero? Adam and Eve in their unfallen state are too remote from us; Christ is not yet incarnate; God cannot be a character. Which leaves us with the magnificently problematic figure of Satan. In this fascinating study of Milton’s great poem, Caroline Moore suggests that, contrary to what these critics argue, the core of Paradise Lost is extraordinarily human. Milton himself believed that poetry excelled at describing “the wily subtleties and refluxes of man’s thought from within”. This is precisely what Paradise Lost does. If, to a generation raised on the novel, Milton’s methods of psychological exploration seem strange, this only intensifies the Paradise Lost is a poem that explores the dark byways and infinite strangeness of the human heart.

168 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Grebbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published 2012.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sign to a good revision guide is when it is passed around a collection of confused students. Milton’s Paradise Lost is no walk in the park to read, as even though it is essentially the creation story from the Bible, the form of the Epic Poem and the contextual setting of the 17th Century create a difficult to digest piece of literature. Even for University students!

I honestly don’t think I would have made it through Milton’s epic without this book! The summary of each book within the poem is possibly one of the most useful things I have ever experienced, as it not just a basic overview of the end goal of the section but a blow by blow account of what is happening. For me this was essential, because Milton’s structure made it so hard to follow even when I knew how it would end.

I have recommended these guides to everyone on my English course who have crossed my path! It asks and answers the key questions without being patronising, and addresses the themes of the poem whilst still allowing the reader to make their own connections! I feel like I’ll probably end up with a whole collection of these little guides throughout my English course and I can’t wait to study the poem in detail after reading this!
Thank you Connell Guides for sending me this copy for review, you’ve really helped! Share to save an English Students life!!