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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Reading it makes one understand the Beethoven 9 phenomenon
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
One of those that I just don't really know what to think about. It's boring enough that I had a hard time staying awake for a lot of it, but whenever I payed close attention to what was written, what I read was beautiful (not story wise, but composition and writing wise. it's amazingly written). there are some fantastic references and lines. and yeah, i will not pick it up again unless i absolutely have to, but i am happy to have read it.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Paradise Lost by Milton. Devilish good book. Now in my top ten books ever. But the hardest thing I have ever read. Sometimes you pick it up and it feels like a random assortment of words.. they sound nice, beautiful in fact…but meaning would evade me completely. Rereading helps and eventually understanding would seep in by osmosis almost. When it didn’t , I found the translation helped. This book took me AGES to read.
I have to say that Satan, the fallen angel, was spectacular. All the worlds most compelling baddies rolled into one.
He gets all the best lines.
‘Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven’
‘The mind is it’s own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven’
Lots of times I could see Emily Brontes ideas for Wuthering Heights.. sometimes as Heathcliff as a sort of Satan, sometimes with Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights being heaven and hell, sometimes in the love Adam and Eve express being so similar to Cathy and Heathcliffes expression of love.
Milton obviously enjoyed Ovid, Homer and Shakespeare, these seem to have walked into Paradise Lost and scattered their influence all over it. But more impressive is how this epic poem has had such a profound impact, ever since it’s publication, on art, music, literature, society, film, video games and …well, everything really.
.
My best bits.. the truly titanic war between the goodies and baddies. The baddies make Lord of the Rings Orcs and Sauron seem like pussy cats.. and the goodies hurl mountains, real mountains. Hugely entertaining stuff.
Down side?….Last two chapters were a bit boring. It ended on a bit of a limp whimper in my uneducated opinion.
I have to say that Satan, the fallen angel, was spectacular. All the worlds most compelling baddies rolled into one.
He gets all the best lines.
‘Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven’
‘The mind is it’s own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven’
Lots of times I could see Emily Brontes ideas for Wuthering Heights.. sometimes as Heathcliff as a sort of Satan, sometimes with Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights being heaven and hell, sometimes in the love Adam and Eve express being so similar to Cathy and Heathcliffes expression of love.
Milton obviously enjoyed Ovid, Homer and Shakespeare, these seem to have walked into Paradise Lost and scattered their influence all over it. But more impressive is how this epic poem has had such a profound impact, ever since it’s publication, on art, music, literature, society, film, video games and …well, everything really.
.
My best bits.. the truly titanic war between the goodies and baddies. The baddies make Lord of the Rings Orcs and Sauron seem like pussy cats.. and the goodies hurl mountains, real mountains. Hugely entertaining stuff.
Down side?….Last two chapters were a bit boring. It ended on a bit of a limp whimper in my uneducated opinion.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Neutral rating because I read it for class and I don't rate books I'm required to read.
Honestly was super boring and I didn't enjoy it. But since I have to write a paper and speak on a panel about it, I better learn to at least tolerate it.
Honestly was super boring and I didn't enjoy it. But since I have to write a paper and speak on a panel about it, I better learn to at least tolerate it.
It's part of the "canon." It's certainly a poetic achievement (and Satan is the best character). It's also the source of a lot of bad cultural imagery of Satan, overemphasis of gendered sin patterns, etc.
But I think it is also Milton's honest wrestling with existence.
Why would God allow the whole of humankind to be born in sin and misery after Adam & Eve's fall Why not just allow the curse of death to work immediately and start fresh? Isn't that the height of cruelty?
He gives a clue to his proposed answer near the end of the poem, put in Adam's mouth after having sent Michael to reveal God's future purposes:
"Merciful over all His works, with good
Still overcoming evil, and by small
Accomplishing great things. By things deem'd weak
Subverting worldly strong, and worldly wise
By simply meek; That suffering for truth’s sake
Is fortitude to highest victory,
And, to the faithful, death the gate of life;
Taught this, by His example whom I now
Acknowledge my redeemer ever blessed."
To which Michael responds:
"This, having learned, hast attained the sum
Of wisdom: hope no higher, though all the stars
Thou knewest by name, all the ethereal powers,
All secrets of the Deep, All Nature's works
Or works of God in Heaven, Air, Earth, or Sea,"
In other words, the cross, the great inversion of power (which is threaded throughout Scripture) is the point of existence, not the patch.
An intellectually satisfying answer? Not fully. But it is perhaps "the sum of wisdom." Maybe hoping higher is not good for our soul, even as we long for Christ to make all things new.
But I think it is also Milton's honest wrestling with existence.
Why would God allow the whole of humankind to be born in sin and misery after Adam & Eve's fall Why not just allow the curse of death to work immediately and start fresh? Isn't that the height of cruelty?
He gives a clue to his proposed answer near the end of the poem, put in Adam's mouth after having sent Michael to reveal God's future purposes:
"Merciful over all His works, with good
Still overcoming evil, and by small
Accomplishing great things. By things deem'd weak
Subverting worldly strong, and worldly wise
By simply meek; That suffering for truth’s sake
Is fortitude to highest victory,
And, to the faithful, death the gate of life;
Taught this, by His example whom I now
Acknowledge my redeemer ever blessed."
To which Michael responds:
"This, having learned, hast attained the sum
Of wisdom: hope no higher, though all the stars
Thou knewest by name, all the ethereal powers,
All secrets of the Deep, All Nature's works
Or works of God in Heaven, Air, Earth, or Sea,"
In other words, the cross, the great inversion of power (which is threaded throughout Scripture) is the point of existence, not the patch.
An intellectually satisfying answer? Not fully. But it is perhaps "the sum of wisdom." Maybe hoping higher is not good for our soul, even as we long for Christ to make all things new.