Lisa of Troy's Reviews > Paradise Lost

Lovely 😍

I am so jealous! 😂

I can’t wait till one day when Paradise Lost has a profound impact on my life too! 🙂 But how is it? His book, which contains what is immortal in him, sits in my white bookshelf, unread. As if John Milton was pastor of a little church in my town, and I never went and sat in a wooden pew and listened to his sermons 😥

Beautiful story about a cherished book💝

such a good book !! ❤

I have a less Ancient copy. I find I can only read a little at the time and it helps to read it aloud. Particularly like the extended description quite early on of Satan travelling out of the gates of Hell, through various strange realms, then through space past stars and planets (which Milton implies may be inhabited) to the newly created Earth, where he means to cause trouble. With modern technology, this could be made into a spectacular animated film.

The edition I have contains introductory remarks, including to each 'Book' (effectively, Chapter) by Philip Pullman, best known as the author of the 'His Dark Materials' novels. Pullman admires the poem but not the Christian beliefs behind it. In my opinion, Pullman is too pro-Satan (literally!) in his view of Paradise Lost.

However, even if I don't always agree with him, reading the book interspersed with someone else's comments is almost like reading it with someone else and being able to discuss it with them.

Pullman does though rightly say that although Paradise Lost is full of references to often obscure passages in the Bible or from Ancient Greek or Roman literature and mythology (Milton was very learned), looking them up rarely adds anything to appreciation of the poem but is time consuming, so feel free, especially on first reading, to ignore them and get on with the poem.

As you may know, Milton had to compose Paradise Lost in his head and dictate it to assistants, as he was blind by the time he created it.

He had also fallen permanently from the high office he had held under Oliver Cromwell during the time England was a Puritan Republic in the mid-17th Century. The serious and pious Milton must have felt out of his time and out of step with the more lewd, frivolous and pleasure-loving culture that came in with Charles II and the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660.

Of course we have to accept that after 350 years, values and attitudes have changed.

Thus e.g. Milton says that in the Garden of Eden, Eve is luckier than Adam, because as the wife she only has to obey, while Adam, as the husband has the burden of being in charge and having to make decisions. Some modern ladies would disagree with that.

Milton also seems to see Jesus as a fierce warrior hero fighting Satan, rather than the 'gentle Jesus, meek and mild' that people are more likely to imagine today.

Some words have shifted in meaning e.g. Milton describes Satan, who led an unsuccessful rebellion in Heaven against God, as an 'atheist', meaning one who believes in God's existence but rejects him, rather than the modern meaning of one who denies that God exists at all.

Hi Tim - I am very interested in obtaining this version with Philip Pullman's comments. Is it the version that has a black cover? And, do you know if Pullman just does the introduction or does he have comments throughout?

Lisa -Yes, it has a black cover and includes reproductions of 17th or 18th Century illustrations. Philip Pullman (I think he has since become 'Sir Philip Pullman' writes introductions to each 'Book' (as I said, they are really like chapters) as well as to the whole thing.

Congratulations! Sad to hear of yet another independent bookstore having shut down though :'(

Love this story...Yes, it's on my list too. It plays a minor role at the beginning of my novel, Red Clay, Running Waters.