Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics) by John Milton
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Book Reviews of Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: Good Book
Summary: 4 Stars
I ordered it. It said it would come in 1-2 weeks, but came in 2 days. Amazing.Book Review: Sing Goddess
Summary: 3 Stars
of how the malodorous oaf Milton did share in bold flatulence his heretical views and cause much stink in the bedroom of Tucker who did paw through that man of bad wind's pages, sometimes well-drawn. Sing to me, Muse, of the rage of Tucker, like that of Peleus's son Achilles, of spirited Turnus, or of earth-shaking Neptune, who, upon reading the gaseous opinions of the Arian heretic proto-Mormon poet who does reject the triune God, embrace notions strange of divine progression, draw corporeal spirits bizarre, misunderstand reason's nature and her relation to Faith, hold to a doctrine of imputed righteousness and forensic justification unregenerate, understand perversely law and authority, proudly dismiss hierarchy natural, deny creation ex nihilo, and rebel against the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, did fervently hope for an exhumation of his remains heretical followed by an auto-da-fe. But if you must read it, tackle Books I and II, then jump to the end of Book IV where Satan is captured in paradise, then jump to the middle of Book V where Raphael begins to relate the war in Heaven which continues through Book VII, then maybe read about the Fall in Book IX. This is where all the good stuff is; although mixed with much bad, so be wary lest you be overcome by Milton's bad air and worse theology. Odors to which only the damned should be subject.
On the other hand, any guy who posits a Ptolemaic universe (at least in his prelapsarian astronomy) can't be all bad. And his drawing of the monomaniacal Satan is interesting. Read Lewis' A Preface to Paradise Lost for a more favorable opinion.
Book Review: Too dense
Summary: 2 Stars
First, let me state that I am not a fan of poetry. I find the way it obscures meaning and ebroiders every last thought in metaphor and simile to be frustrating and distracting. I'm so busy trying to figure out what each line means that I forget where I am in the overall scheme of things.
After making my way through The Oddysey, Beowulf and the Divine Comedy, I thought I could handle Milton's Paradise Lost. I was wrong.
I make it a personal mission that try to I finish every book I start. In the last 10 years, I can remember having failed in this only 4 times:
- On The Origin of Species (Charles Darwin);
- The Republic (Plato);
- The Four-Gated City (Doris Lessing); and
- Paradise Lost by John Milton.
My major criticisms include the following:
- Sentences are drawn out to intolerable length, stacked with metaphor upon metaphor, until I get halfway down the page and I've forgotten how the sentence started!
- Although stated at the start of the book that rhyme was deliberately avoided, I found the absence of any rhyme reduced the poetic impact for me.
- It was hard to fall into the metre of the verse, which made it more difficult for me to get into the flow of the tale (possibly related to the lack of rhyme stated above).
- The decriptions were so flowery and interwoven that I often found that what I thought was a decription of one entity was in fact two or more!
In the end, I just couldn't do it.
To be fair though, of the small section I read (I got to the end of Book III I think) there were a few passages which were clear enough that I was able to appreciate the beauty of the language. Also, I appreciated the way Milton attempted to characterise the War in Heaven and its aftermath. Such a critical foundation of Judeo-Christian theology is given short shrift in the Bible and other works; giving it some depth was a valiant effort. But there weren't enough of the good parts to keep me engaged, more's the pity.
This may be a cornerstone of English literature, but it wasn't for me. If you enjoy thick, dense poetry, and apocryphal theology, then enjoy with my blessing. It was too much for me.
Book Review: Bad Book
Summary: 1 Stars
Man, I had to read this book. It was so boring and hard to read. Skip it or read the cliff notes if at all possible.