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Paradise Lost is one of the most important poems

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Re: Paradise Lost is one of the most important poems

#21

Post by keiferski »

BossingAround wrote: post #13

Just like Joyce's Ulysses, Dostoevsky's work, etc. those all are books that some people consider hugely important, yet because of their difficulty, they won't touch lives of many. Even students of literature often don't understand these works. And so, I am sceptical when they get pronounced as extremely important. 'Important to whom?' seems to be the crucial question...

Why is this the top comment? What value does it add? This is almost a textbook case of “the middlebrow dismissal”.

Paradise Lost is one of the single most influential and brilliant pieces of literature in the history of the English language.

Re: Paradise Lost is one of the most important poems

#23

Post by robin_reala »

BossingAround wrote: post #13

Just like Joyce's Ulysses, Dostoevsky's work, etc. those all are books that some people consider hugely important, yet because of their difficulty, they won't touch lives of many. Even students of literature often don't understand these works. And so, I am sceptical when they get pronounced as extremely important. 'Important to whom?' seems to be the crucial question...

Dostoevsky is hardly difficult in the way that Joyce is. I mean, yes, there’s lots of layers to uncover, but he’s downright comedic when the situation calls of it (e.g. Mitya’s carousing and subsequent arrest in Karamazov is a fine piece of comedy writing and extremely accessible, regardless of the complexity of his motives).

Re: Paradise Lost is one of the most important poems

#24

Post by werber »

BossingAround wrote: post #13

Just like Joyce's Ulysses, Dostoevsky's work, etc. those all are books that some people consider hugely important, yet because of their difficulty, they won't touch lives of many. Even students of literature often don't understand these works. And so, I am sceptical when they get pronounced as extremely important. 'Important to whom?' seems to be the crucial question...

I hated Milton before re-reading Paradise Lost while taking a Milton lecture alongside an Early American Lit course in undergrad. He had a huge influence on Phillis Wheatley writing style and her work and legacy was awe inspiring to me. His work only became important to me once I viewed it through that context. I think a lot of classic works can become important on a personal level when you can see the threads from the past woven into your contemporary interests.

Re: Paradise Lost is one of the most important poems

#25

Post by azangru »

goto11 wrote: post #15
BossingAround wrote: post #13

Just like Joyce's Ulysses, Dostoevsky's work, etc. those all are books that some people consider hugely important, yet because of their difficulty, they won't touch lives of many. Even students of literature often don't understand these works. And so, I am sceptical when they get pronounced as extremely important. 'Important to whom?' seems to be the crucial question...

In literature studies, "important" usually means how many other works have been influenced by a work.

I wonder why they don't use the word "influential" then, if that's what they mean.

To me, the word important has a distinct prescriptive ring to it. As in "this book is important, therefore you should go read it". The word imfluential is more descriptive and does not have such connotations.

Re: Paradise Lost is one of the most important poems

#27

Post by bradleyjg »

madacoo wrote: post #14
BossingAround wrote: post #13

Just like Joyce's Ulysses, Dostoevsky's work, etc. those all are books that some people consider hugely important, yet because of their difficulty, they won't touch lives of many. Even students of literature often don't understand these works. And so, I am sceptical when they get pronounced as extremely important. 'Important to whom?' seems to be the crucial question...

I'd argue that the importance of a literary work does not end at the reader. If the work changes the reader's world view and changes their behaviour, then it could in turn effect the way they interact with others. Just being in the same room as someone who has understood Dante's Inferno, for example, might well have effects that alter the course of your life. Proving this would be another thing entirely, however.

One of the best classes I ever took in my life anywhere was a course in college on Dante. It wasn't so much that I was inspired by Dante as I was by the professor. He had an absolutely magical obsession with the Divine Comedy. That level of articulate enthusiasm for anything at all is something I've rarely come across in adult life.

Re: Paradise Lost is one of the most important poems

#28

Post by dagw »

BossingAround wrote: post #13

Just like Joyce's Ulysses, Dostoevsky's work, etc. those all are books that some people consider hugely important, yet because of their difficulty, they won't touch lives of many. Even students of literature often don't understand these works. And so, I am sceptical when they get pronounced as extremely important. 'Important to whom?' seems to be the crucial question...

Important to whom?

Important in the sense that they greatly inspired people to go on and create other works that would go on to touch many lives.

Re: Paradise Lost is one of the most important poems

#30

Post by SolaceQuantum »

BossingAround wrote: post #13

Just like Joyce's Ulysses, Dostoevsky's work, etc. those all are books that some people consider hugely important, yet because of their difficulty, they won't touch lives of many. Even students of literature often don't understand these works. And so, I am sceptical when they get pronounced as extremely important. 'Important to whom?' seems to be the crucial question...

Milton's Paradise Lost changed centuries of how poetry is considered and continues to strongly influence modern literature today. It's one of the great pieces of work in the English language and themes introduced in this work have impact on modern English media (if not international media).

This would be like calling Shakespeare's importance into question.

Milton and Shakespeare touch the lives of anyone who experiences English language and media written in English language. Whether or not this is understood is another question entirely.

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