Reading Paradise Lost

Concise enough to be assimilated in a single session, this short volume maps the wonders of Milton’s poetic landscape. The book offers an exploration of some of the main narrative and poetic elements of the epic poem – qualities which have compelled and fascinated readers for more than three centuries. The author, a celebrated authority on English poetry of the period, engages with (and attempts to counter) some of the critical arguments that impede readers’ enjoyment of the poem. This volume emphasizes the aesthetic experience of reading Paradise Lost and brings out the pleasure to be derived from one of the great literary achievements of humanity.

Preface vii 1 Paradise Lost : Poem or "Problem"? 1 2 God, Satan, and Adam 23 3 Eden 43 4 The Fall 63 Further Reading 85 Index to lines and passages from Paradise Lost 91 Index to main text and notes 93

David Hopkins is Emeritus Professor of English Literature and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, UK. A specialist on English poetry and literary criticism of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, he has written two books on John Dryden – John Dryden (1986) and Writers and their Work: John Dryden (2004). His latest work, Conversing with Antiquity: English Poets and the Classics, from Shakespeare to Pope (2010), reflects his interest in the enduring influence on English poetry of the literature and culture of classical antiquity. Professor Hopkins has also edited numerous volumes, including (with Paul Hammond) an annotated edition of Dryden’s complete poems.

"Written in lucid, unpretentious prose, ( Reading Paradise Lost ) has ... the character of a first–rate lecture. It opens an uncluttered path into ′the distinctive imagined world′ of Paradise Lost and is a guide to understanding it as a long narrative poem. There is a place for such a book in Milton studies, specifically for students coming to the poem for the first time, before they move on to the large handbooks. The championing of the early critics gives the book a distinctive edge and the original and persuasive ideas of the first chapter will be of particular interest to Milton scholars." ( Milton Quarterly , May 2014) "Any library supporting the teaching of English literature to freshmen and sophomores should acquire it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower–division undergraduates and general readers." ( Choice , 1 August 2013) Normal0falsefalsefalseEN–GBX–NONEX–NONEMicrosoftInternetExplorer4<![endif]––> ′Written in lucid, unpretentious prose, [ Reading Paradise Lost] has... the character of a first–rate lecture. It opens an uncluttered path into "the distinctive imagined world" of Paradise Lost and is a guide to understanding it as a long narrative poem. There is a place for such a book in Milton studies, specifically for students coming to the poem for the first time, before they move on to the large handbooks. The championing of the early critics gives the book a distinctive edge and the original and persuasive ideas of the first chapter will be of particular interest to Milton scholars′.                                                                                                               ( Milton Quarterly ) <![endif]––><![endif]––>