Reading Paradise Lost

Concise enough to be assimilated in a single session, this shortvolume maps the wonders of Milton s poetic landscape. Thebook offers an exploration of some of the main narrative and poeticelements of the epic poem qualities which have compelledand fascinated readers for more than three centuries. The author, acelebrated authority on English poetry of the period, engages with(and attempts to counter) some of the critical arguments thatimpede readers enjoyment of the poem. This volume emphasizesthe aesthetic experience of reading Paradise Lost and bringsout the pleasure to be derived from one of the great literaryachievements 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 Literatureand Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, UK. Aspecialist on English poetry and literary criticism of theseventeenth and eighteenth centuries, he has written two books onJohn Dryden John Dryden (1986) and Writers andtheir Work: John Dryden (2004). His latest work, Conversingwith Antiquity: English Poets and the Classics, from Shakespeare toPope (2010), reflects his interest in the enduring influence onEnglish poetry of the literature and culture of classicalantiquity. Professor Hopkins has also edited numerous volumes,including (with Paul Hammond) an annotated edition ofDryden s complete poems.

"Written in lucid, unpretentious prose, ( Reading ParadiseLost) has ... the character of a first–rate lecture. It opensan uncluttered path into ′the distinctive imagined world′ ofParadise Lost and is a guide to understanding it as a longnarrative 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 theearly critics gives the book a distinctive edge and the originaland persuasive ideas of the first chapter will be of particularinterest to Milton scholars." ( Milton Quarterly, May2014)

"In true Miltonic style the content skilfully covers the well–knownwhilst encouraging the brave to question, deconstruct and thinkagain."  ( The Use of English, 65.1 Autumn 2013)

"Any library supporting the teaching of English literature tofreshmen and sophomores should acquire it. Summing Up: Highlyrecommended. Lower–division undergraduates and general readers."( Choice, 1 August 2013)