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The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
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Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#12The book being reviewed by TFA is not itself a review of Paradise Lost, but a study of how people have interpreted Paradise Lost since it was published in 1667. TFA says 'The biggest story that Reade is telling is that of slavery.' YMMV, but I don't think that this was Milton's main message - IIRC from reading PL years ago at school, the main story was Satan's rebellion against God. Satan was presented as a sort of h…
"the main story was Satan's rebellion against God" so Satan rebelling against being enslaved?
More like the rebellion of a subject against their king, which isn't quite the same as slavery used in TFA (which is mainly the slavery of the blacks under the whites).
Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#13I found the first 20% of this book a bit tedious as I got used to the style of English, but I'm glad I stuck it out. Eventually it became very natural to read and the beauty of the language is something I'm not sure I've encountered anywhere else. At least through a contemporary lens I didn't get the impression it was political whatsoever. What it did seem to do was fill in the (many) blanks present in the correspond…
> At least through a contemporary lens I didn't get the impression it was political whatsoever. The poem has a strong republican sentiment (lowercase 'r') throughout. During Cromwell's control, he argued for republicanism; he likely composed much of the early elements of the poem while in hiding after Restoration, fearing very correctly for his life; and he remained a republican for all his life. Milton's characteriz…
> it's fascinating to see how much sympathy Milton can make for Satan
When I read PL at school, Satan came across as a really cool dude who could fly! Admittedly I was (much) younger then.
Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
> At least through a contemporary lens I didn't get the impression it was political whatsoever. The poem has a strong republican sentiment (lowercase 'r') throughout. During Cromwell's control, he argued for republicanism; he likely composed much of the early elements of the poem while in hiding after Restoration, fearing very correctly for his life; and he remained a republican for all his life. Milton's characteriz…
> it's fascinating to see how much sympathy Milton can make for Satan When I read PL at school, Satan came across as a really cool dude who could fly! Admittedly I was (much) younger then.
One of the fascinating consequences of PL's incredible storytelling and poetry is to humanize Satan. Unlike the Son of God, or God themselves, Satan seems far more multifaceted. He has hopes, dreams, ambitions, and ruminates and obsesses over his own failings as well whether freedom from tyranny, as he sees it, is worth getting cast out of heaven for. To him, he lost paradise. These things make him feel alive in the poem, like a real person, a creation entirely Milton's own.
Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#15In case anyone is interested, the full text of Paradise Lost with helpful annotations is available online at Dartmouth: https://milton.host.dartmouth.edu/reading_room/pl/intro/text...
I know that people spend a lot of time fixating on how to write a good opening line for their books ("It was a dark and stormy night", etc.), but Paradise Lost has I think the most beautiful closing passage of any book (spoilers for The Bible):
They looking back, all th' Eastern side beheld
Of Paradise, so late thir happie seat,
Wav'd over by that flaming Brand, the Gate
With dreadful Faces throng'd and fierie Armes:
Som natural tears they drop'd, but wip'd them soon;
The World was all before them, where to choose
Thir place of rest, and Providence thir guide:
They hand in hand with wandring steps and slow,
Through Eden took thir solitarie way.
Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#16In case anyone is interested, the full text of Paradise Lost with helpful annotations is available online at Dartmouth: https://milton.host.dartmouth.edu/reading_room/pl/intro/text...
HN discussing this link in old thread here:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38876560
Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#17The book being reviewed by TFA is not itself a review of Paradise Lost, but a study of how people have interpreted Paradise Lost since it was published in 1667. TFA says 'The biggest story that Reade is telling is that of slavery.' YMMV, but I don't think that this was Milton's main message - IIRC from reading PL years ago at school, the main story was Satan's rebellion against God. Satan was presented as a sort of h…
"the main story was Satan's rebellion against God" so Satan rebelling against being enslaved?
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Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#18In case anyone is interested, the full text of Paradise Lost with helpful annotations is available online at Dartmouth: https://milton.host.dartmouth.edu/reading_room/pl/intro/text...
I know that people spend a lot of time fixating on how to write a good opening line for their books ("It was a dark and stormy night", etc.), but Paradise Lost has I think the most beautiful closing passage of any book (spoilers for The Bible): They looking back, all th' Eastern side beheld Of Paradise, so late thir happie seat, Wav'd over by that flaming Brand, the Gate With dreadful Faces throng'd and fierie Armes:…
A Tale of Two Cities also has a beautiful (and famous) closing passage.
Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#19The book being reviewed by TFA is not itself a review of Paradise Lost, but a study of how people have interpreted Paradise Lost since it was published in 1667. TFA says 'The biggest story that Reade is telling is that of slavery.' YMMV, but I don't think that this was Milton's main message - IIRC from reading PL years ago at school, the main story was Satan's rebellion against God. Satan was presented as a sort of h…
Why do you care about "Milton's main message"? Is that more important than the historical results of his writing?
Marx didn't intend to invent sociology, yet he did. What do you think about that?
Re: The Political Afterlife of Paradise Lost
#20The book being reviewed by TFA is not itself a review of Paradise Lost, but a study of how people have interpreted Paradise Lost since it was published in 1667. TFA says 'The biggest story that Reade is telling is that of slavery.' YMMV, but I don't think that this was Milton's main message - IIRC from reading PL years ago at school, the main story was Satan's rebellion against God. Satan was presented as a sort of h…
Why do you care about "Milton's main message"? Is that more important than the historical results of his writing? Marx didn't intend to invent sociology, yet he did. What do you think about that?
> Why do you care about "Milton's main message"? Is that more important than the historical results of his writing?
Because this review of Eade's interpretative book focusses on Eade's chapters that are the most significant to the reviewer writing for The New Statesman. It's quite a few steps from Milton's source text. I'm not claiming that Milton's message (and yes, there were several) is more or less important than how people have interpreted it, just that sometimes going to the primary source (rather than a review of an interpretative review) can be rewarding in its own right.
> Marx didn't intend to invent sociology, yet he did. What do you think about that?
Interesting question! Perhaps I'll go for a pint at one of the venues on the Karl Marx pub crawl [0] and see what the regulars think of it. That should be valid, shouldn't it?