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Milton and the Making of Paradise Lost
William Poole recounts Milton's life as England’s self-elected national poet and explains how the greatest poem of the English language came to be written. How did a blind man compose this staggeringly complex, intensely visual work? Poole explores how Milton’s life and preoccupations inform the poem itself—its structure, content, and meaning.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2017
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About the author
William Frederick Poole
94 booksWilliam Frederick Poole (24 December 1821, Salem, Massachusetts - 1 March 1894) was an American bibliographer and librarian.
He graduated from Yale University in 1849, where he assisted John Edmands, who was a student at the Brothers in Unity Library. Poole succeeded Edmands' position at the library and in 1848, while still a student, published his own 154-page index to periodical literature. A 524-page edition was published in 1853, and a third 1469-page edition in 1882.
He was assistant librarian of the Boston Athenaeum in 1851, and in 1852 became librarian of the Boston Mercantile Library. From 1856 to 1869 he was librarian of the Boston Athenaeum, where he inspired the careers of Charles Evans, William I. Fletcher, and Caroline Hewins. Poole was a pioneer in the public library movement. He was the first librarian of the Cincinnati Public Library from 1869 to 1873, where he successfully introduced the idea of opening the library on Sundays, and the first librarian of the Chicago Public Library from 1873 to 1887. Poole built the initial Chicago collection in part through persuading friends in the academic community across the United States to donate volumes. It did not hurt that his appeal suggested many books had perished in the great Chicago fire of 1871, even though the disaster had occurred two years before the city had begun a library. Poole capped his career as librarian of the Newberry Library, a private research institution, from 1887 to 1894. Poole designed the building, which still stands at 60 West Walton Street. While he was a moving force in the modern library movement, Poole's ideas ultimately put him on the wrong side of history. Poole believed each collection was unique and that librarians should design a building and catalogue system to fit his collection. The name of his contemporary, Melvil Dewey, is attached to the idea of standardizing classification. Poole served as president of the American Library Association, and also as president of the American Historical Association.
(Source: "William Frederick Poole". Wikipedia.com. Accessed May 20, 2016).
He graduated from Yale University in 1849, where he assisted John Edmands, who was a student at the Brothers in Unity Library. Poole succeeded Edmands' position at the library and in 1848, while still a student, published his own 154-page index to periodical literature. A 524-page edition was published in 1853, and a third 1469-page edition in 1882.
He was assistant librarian of the Boston Athenaeum in 1851, and in 1852 became librarian of the Boston Mercantile Library. From 1856 to 1869 he was librarian of the Boston Athenaeum, where he inspired the careers of Charles Evans, William I. Fletcher, and Caroline Hewins. Poole was a pioneer in the public library movement. He was the first librarian of the Cincinnati Public Library from 1869 to 1873, where he successfully introduced the idea of opening the library on Sundays, and the first librarian of the Chicago Public Library from 1873 to 1887. Poole built the initial Chicago collection in part through persuading friends in the academic community across the United States to donate volumes. It did not hurt that his appeal suggested many books had perished in the great Chicago fire of 1871, even though the disaster had occurred two years before the city had begun a library. Poole capped his career as librarian of the Newberry Library, a private research institution, from 1887 to 1894. Poole designed the building, which still stands at 60 West Walton Street. While he was a moving force in the modern library movement, Poole's ideas ultimately put him on the wrong side of history. Poole believed each collection was unique and that librarians should design a building and catalogue system to fit his collection. The name of his contemporary, Melvil Dewey, is attached to the idea of standardizing classification. Poole served as president of the American Library Association, and also as president of the American Historical Association.
(Source: "William Frederick Poole". Wikipedia.com. Accessed May 20, 2016).
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October 15, 2017
This throughly academic study of the intellectual background of Milton's Paradise Lost will stand for a long time as the authority on the subject. The first half is ostensibly a biography, focusing especially on the intellectual development of Milton. The second half details the structure and elements of the epic poem, particularly where it stands within the epic tradition, within Biblical authority, and within the poetic tradition. Out of this, Milton told the story of the fall of Lucifer in parallel with the fall of humankind from the Garden of Eden. Milton melded religious orthodoxy and pagan elements and all of those are detailed by Poole. However, I would stress that this is not a book for casual fans. Academics and enthusiasts only.
Displaying 1 of 1 review