Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1906ds 's review for:
Paradise Lost
by John Milton
I’m not sure how to adequately write a book review for a social media site like GR since its meaning and importance cannot be fully (or even partially) appreciated on one’s first read of Paradise Lost. I can say without a doubt, this is the most difficult thing I’ve ever read, but you know what? I’m pretty gosh darn proud of the fact I was able to stick it out and finish it, with some level of comprehension. I do not think this is a book I’ve truly “finished” though; I mean, I can’t think of any works of music I’ve listened to wear I think after just one listen “Ah ha! I’ve got it, I know what you meant with this harmonic motion, Englebert Humperdinck!”, so why not read a book that requires you to reread and return to it many times over the course of your life?
Here are things I certainly did appreciate on first reading: 1) the language is incredible. Like, seriously, I am in awe of what the English language can do and how melodious it can sound in the hands of a master. Furthermore, the fact that Milton wrote this while blind just astounds me. 2) The characters, especially Satan, Adam, and Eve are incredible, they are just drenched in emotion and pathos. And 3), no one can paint an image like Milton when it comes to world building. Seriously, I now know what people mean when they say Paradise Lost is the original Sci-Fi epic. The descriptions of Hell, of Heaven, of Eden, of everything is just so overwhelming.
Here are things that maybe need another attempt at (or a lifetime to understand): 1) how fckng frustrating the big man, God, is. Maybe social media isn’t the best place to air my personal beliefs within a Christian-centered society, but I found his logic and his knowledge to just be frustrating. Maybe I’m missing something, but that something would probably require a shift in my own personal beliefs that I could never go through. 2) The many, many, MANY classical and biblical allusions. I got some of them down (thanks, Ovid), but I guess it is time to go on to Homer and Virgil if I ever want a chance to really understand all of it. And 3) how Mr. Milton perceives space, the relationships between Earth, the planets, Heaven, all that jazz. I mean, when the language went Celestial it was always memorable, but it often left me with a feeling of “what in the Sam hill did I just read”. That’s okay, better luck next time, future me.
Seriously, I am in awe of oh-so-many passages in this book, I couldn’t possibly list them all, so here are just a few (spoilers for those who have never read Genesis, I guess?): the depictions of Hell and Pandamonium, Death and Sin at the gates, the evocation of light, the description of Eden, Satan witnessing Adam and Eve for the first time, Satan tempting Eve, the lamentation of Adam and Eve, and Adam and Eve departing Eden.
Who is this for? People who want a challenge (it gets easier the further in you get, I found parts of Books 1 and 2 the most difficult, with the language getting easier and easier as you approach the end). People who want to see how the persona of Satan has developed separately from the bible (he’s such a fascinating character). And perhaps most importantly, people who want to simply be able to flaunt to their plebeian friends that they have read Paradise Lost (don’t worry, only nerds read it).