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Paradise Lost (Paradise #1)

by John Milton, Alastair Fowler (Editor)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 56,803 ratings · 1,477 reviews

First published in 1968, Alastair Fowler's annotated edition of "Paradise Lost" is acknowledged as the most authoritative guide to this major work. It is the only recent edition of "Paradise Lost" to be based on the text of the first (1667) edition, now widely accepted to be closer to Milton's intention than that of 1674.

Paperback, (re-issue) (2nd Edition) , 716 pages

Published August 22nd 2006 by Longman Publishing Group (first published January 1st 212)

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Jun 04, 2013 [P] rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-life-is-rubbish

[ring ring]

[P]: [into the phone] Y'ello?

Adam: I've done a really bad thing

[P]: Adam! S'up, bro?

Adam: You gotta help me

[P]: Look, cool your boots. Tell me what's up

Adam: Eve...

[P]: Ah, man, you didn't did you? But, listen, maybe she won't find out? As long as it wasn't her best friend...

Adam: No, it's not that. I ate something I shouldn't've

[P]: What have I told you before? Don't take anything unless you know what it is and you trust the person giving it to you.

Adam: No, you don't understand. We...more

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Jun 21, 2007 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, had-to-for-college

in middle school i had seen this book lying around the house and for some reason it struck me as very impressive. i didn't ever want to read it but i wanted to give off the impression that i was the type of person who would read it. i did this with a few other books too (catcher in the rye, on the road, ect.) i carried it to school so that teachers would see it in my possession and prominently displayed it on my bedside table to let friends and family know.

after actually reading the book for a...more

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Dec 07, 2010 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

There's all this debate over why Satan is so appealing in Paradise Lost. Did Milton screw up? Is he being cynical, or a double-secret atheist? And why is God such a dick?

No one ever asks that about Iago, though, to whom I think Milton's Satan owes a debt. No one asks whether Shakespeare screwed up in making Iago so much fun; they just give him credit for, y'know, writing an awesome villain. And that's all Milton's doing. Satan is tempting for us because Satan is tempting for us. That's the point...more

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Apr 18, 2007 Patrick Oden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, literary

Portions of this book were assigned for my Brit Lit class. I read about half of the assigned portions. I was distracted at the time by various events in life and wasn't yet a very good student.

My professor had done his PhD work on Milton and taught with a contagious passion. So much passion that I decided, after the discussion was over, to buy the whole book. During our five day Fall break in my sophomore year I sat on the front lawn of my college and read Paradise Lost. Nonstop, getting up for...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Manny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blame-jordan-if-you-like, parody-homage, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, why-not-call-it-poetry, mentions-twilight, story-review, pooh-dante

(Joint review with JORDAN)

- George?

- Mm?

- I had such a strange dream.

- Was it scary? You were talking in your sleep.

- Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer were making a movie of Paradise Lost.

- OK, that's scary.

The rest of this review is in my book What Pooh Might Have Said to Dante and Other Futile Speculations

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Nov 25, 2012 Dina Nabil rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

اشتريته ديسمبر 2010 و رجعت البيت كانى جبت كنز ..و لما ابتديت اقراه ادركت انه فعلا كنز ليس فقط فى محتوى القصيده بل فى امتاع الترجمه

و روعه المقدمه الطويله الزاخره كانها كتاب منفصل من روعها

الفردوس المفقود هى قصيده مطوله للرائع جون ميلتون عن نشأه الخلق بادم و حواء و النزول من الجنه الى الارض..مع اسقاطات عن حال الانسان المعاصر

الكتاب يتخطى الالف صفحة فى يسر بكثير من الشرح و الحواشى لصعوبة الابيات و نقلها للعربيه

فى نسخه مكتبه الاسره مقدمه طويله ممتعه عن الكاتب و ظروف عصره مذيلا بكتاب اخر لجون ميلتون

ك...more

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Jun 19, 2007 Clint rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who like reading about the devil

Let's face it, John Milton was a closet devil-worshiper. Satan here is presented so sympathetically it's hard to think otherwise. He has the best lines, and even his actions would be laudable by most Christian standards (excepting, of course, starting a war in heaven). He never gives up, he fights for what he believes in, he's really clever, and he even pities humans for having to be his tools to get back at God. The good angels come off as such sissies and are always really smug and self-satisf...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Richard rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classic

I can imagine folks reading this and enjoying it. But not me.

The story lying at the heart of Paradise Lost was one I really wanted to read. I’ve heard many times that Satan is portrayed as the sympathetic figure, that he’s honest about the absurdity of rebellion against the ultimate power of God yet still so resentful at being created as a servant that he is steadfast to his doom.

Some of the subplots here have become recurrent and mythic elements in literature ever since. I knew, for example, th...more

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May 21, 2008 Brandon Pearce rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

WOW! I had never read Milton until I was forced to in my Chaucer/Shakespeare/Milton class and I was blown away! I absolutely loved this epic poem! Milton was the best educated man in England at this time. He spoke or read every European language and even dabbled in Algonquin. He was part of the Cromwell government and wrote a lot of political tracts that contain the roots of much of the political philosophy that is the foundation of our country. In a scathing political pamphlet called The Tenure...more WOW! I had never read Milton until I was forced to in my Chaucer/Shakespeare/Milton class and I was blown away! I absolutely loved this epic poem! Milton was the best educated man in England at this time. He spoke or read every European language and even dabbled in Algonquin. He was part of the Cromwell government and wrote a lot of political tracts that contain the roots of much of the political philosophy that is the foundation of our country. In a scathing political pamphlet called The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, Milton wrote, “all men naturally were born free, being the image and resemblance of God himself…and they lived so until from the root of Adam’s transgression, falling among themselves to doe wrong and violence…they agreed by common league to bind each other from mutual injury." Milton believed very strongly that governments were necessary to protect men from their own vices, but that the “power of the Kings…is nothing else, but what is onely derivative, transferred and committed to them in trust from the people, to the common good of them all, in whom the power yet remains fundamentally." While this concept of executive power is widely accepted in western society today, it was far from the mainstream for seventeenth century England; where the prevailing philosophy was that the king’s right to rule came from God alone. One of the many purposes of Paradise Lost was a medium through which Milton could present his radical political views. In it he argues that men should ideally rule themselves in small familial groups, but because of men’s vices, they must set up stronger governmental systems. He uses Satan, whom he associates with Charles II, as the model of power unrighteously wielded, and sets up Christ as the model of proper authority.
In book four, Milton describes Adam and Eve’s character before the fall, “Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure / Severe, but in true filial freedom placed / Whence true authority in men." Eve is submissive to Adam (at first) and, because Adam is submissive to God, he rules gently and correctly over Eve. In this state, men are in a state of freedom. A natural hierarchy exists in the patriarchal order of the family. It is the “true authority of men” because it mirrors man’s relationship with God. Later, in book twelve, Milton makes this point clearer as Michael shows to Adam the decedents of Noah who “Shall spend their days in joy unblamed and dwell / Long time in peace by families and tribes / Under paternal rule." Milton sees this natural paternal order as the idyllic form of governing mankind, and the one that allows the most freedom and peace for the individual.
Of course this peaceful set up cannot last, and in the very next sentence Nimrod “arrogates dominion undeserved” to himself and becomes the first King. This new form of authority is a rebellion from the natural power structure of family rule. It makes the many people on the bottom of the hierarchy slaves to the few on top. While this argument could be brought against most rulers throughout history, Milton implicates Charles II specifically in this description of Nimrod by saying, “from rebellion shall derive his name / Though of rebellion others he accuse." This refers to the restoration of Charles to the throne after the Commonwealth collapsed, after which many of the leaders of Cromwell’s government were hanged as traitorous rebels.
Throughout Paradise Lost, Milton makes clear that he is not just critiquing monarchy, but Charles II in particular. He goes so far as to associate Charles with Satan himself. For example, in book one, Milton describes Charles’ heady lifestyle in connection with Satan's brood, “In courts and palaces he also reigns / And in luxurious cities where the noise / Of riot ascends above their loftiest tow’rs…witness the streets of Sodom." Although Milton surely disapproved of this sort of heady living, it is not the main reason that he condemned Charles’ authority. It is Charles’ claim to divine right that so irks Milton, and he uses Satan to show how spurious this claim is, “Me though just right and the fixed laws of Heav’n / Did first create your leader." Later, Adam counters this assertion with Milton’s sentiments, “But man over men / He made not lord, such title to himself / Reserving” (XII.69-71).
Book five shows that Satan assembled his crew of demons with the intent that they would help him get what he wanted. In fact, he assembled his leadership together under the false story that they were going to have a council on how best to “receive our King / The great Messiah. He has no thought of the wellbeing of those who follow him, but instead beguiles them with “counterfeited truth” to fight so that Satan can become as God. Satan does not serve them, they serve him; and follow him to their eternal damnation. For Milton, the real evil in monarchy is that inevitably the king will stop seeing himself as the servant of the people, and begin seeing the people as his servants. Compare this to the approach that The Son takes.
Christ willingly accepts the role as savior to mankind; knowing that it will mean his death as God’s sacrificial lamb. It is only after this acceptance to be the servant of men that God gives Christ his divine authority: “Therefore thy humiliation shall exalt / With Thee thy manhood also to this throne…All power I give thee." According to this model, an executive should have as his motivation the welfare of the people over whom he lords. It is only through his service to the people that he receives and maintains authority. This is the model that Milton would have earthly governments follow; and if the executive of the nation, whatever title he may bear, does not serve the good of the people, they have the right to select one who will.
Though the Commonwealth for which Milton argued so strongly eventually failed, he, like Christ, found a greater victory in defeat. Milton’s political views espoused in Paradise Lost eventually won over England and most of western society. Thomas Paine used very similar verbiage in his extremely influential political tract Common Sense “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.” And then later he says. “Here then is the rise and origin of government; namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world.” This is the philosophical bedrock of the concept of a limited government. The idea that powers of government ought to be limited to only that which the people cannot do themselves, and to let people govern themselves as much as possible, is one of the foundational philosophies of the Republican Party today. One can even read Milton in our Declaration of Independence, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.” The reach of his work has far surpassed the “fit…though few” audience he envisioned for it. It is a part of our everyday lives. I can’t say whether this idea originated with Milton, but his inclusion of it in Paradise Lost, with its widespread sway in England and here in the US, gave it great influence; which we still feel today.

Beyond his political views I was astounded at his theology. I agreed with the vast majority of his doctrinal positions including a trinity of seperate indivduals; God the Father, Jesus Christ and The Holy Ghost (whom he invokes as the muse in good epic fasion). Jesus and several archangels make the earth under the direction of the Father. Satan rebels because of pride and attempts to usurp the Father's athourity, taking a third of the angels of heaven with him. Christ was chosen as the savior in a council in heaven. Men can only be forgiven through the stonement of Christ and through personal repentance...I could go on. He was so ahead of his time in this arena as well.
The last thing I wanted to mention was his use of Satan playing the classical hero. Satatn displays the atributes of a classical hero along the lines of Odysseus, and Achiles. Milton does this so that he can show what true heroism is; as modeled by Christ. For Milton the true hero was humble, a servant of the people (which was his ideal for a governmental executive), and found his stregnth in obedience to god's will. He shows throughout the book how the new Christian heroic model is superior to the old classical model of physical prowess, cunning deception, and courtly lover. (for more on this subject I recommend Steadman's Milton and the Renaissance Hero.)
It's to bad that Milton is no longer read today as much as it was from the time he wrote it to the twentieth century. It is a true classic, and contains so much that is foundational to our culture still today.
If you need help on all of the allusions and classical references in Pardise Lost I recommend this website sponsored by Dartmouth College http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/read... It was very helpful with some of the obscure references.(less)

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Apr 24, 2008 Incendiaryrose rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finished-classics

I hope no fan of Milton ever reads this review. And if you are a fan of Milton, go find one of many other reviews that will be a little better to your liking.

Had I read this book with the perspective of a student, or perhaps even as a potential instructor, I suspect my view of the twelve-book poem would have been far more favorable. As it was, I did not. Rather I read it as myself, a person who is rather sarcastic and critical of most things, but especially continuity errors.

I found myself stumb...more I hope no fan of Milton ever reads this review. And if you are a fan of Milton, go find one of many other reviews that will be a little better to your liking.

Had I read this book with the perspective of a student, or perhaps even as a potential instructor, I suspect my view of the twelve-book poem would have been far more favorable. As it was, I did not. Rather I read it as myself, a person who is rather sarcastic and critical of most things, but especially continuity errors.

I found myself stumbling not on the poetry, but on such things as the lengthy description of the pantheon of pandemonium being made with mined gold, wrought with comments on greed and how all those who look for such riches are doomed. This is impressed rather heavily, to be followed by the sun being made with gold and precious gems, heaven being full of similar wealth, and even Christ's chariot of 'sparkles dire' is studded with precious stones and capped with a sapphire throne (book six, line 750 starts you off on the description of the chariot).

Were I reading this as a student, I could probably make excuses for the different standards of wealth. I could probably even attempt to justify why Adam and Eve seem to gain absolutely nothing from eating the fruit of knowledge. Adam says often beforehand how working in the garden is good. They are told of Satan's presence in the garden and recognize this as being something to fear. Thus, they know of good and evil. After the fruit, the only alteration is a lustful interlude, to be followed by argument over it. Another angelic intervention where they are told everything to come, and they wander away in sorrowful hope. The Angels are thus the ones who are conveyors of knowledge, not the fruit of knowledge. And so, with Milton, it might as well be the Fruit of Lust and Damnation.

As it stands, and as I have read it, Paradise Lost was not what I would call an enjoyable work. I find no great epiphanies in it, or divine inspiration. I find a great deal of misogyny and even more references to classical myths that, if I didn't know it was perfectly fine in Milton's time to interweave Christianity and Greco-Roman myth, I would find a bit off. In total, it read like a rather bad biblical fanfiction with heavy crossover.

That being said, Paradise Lost is still a good work to read. For even if it strains my patience and sarcasm, it also gives an excellent perspective on quite a few quotes and characterizations that were to come after. In a way, the book is less important than what people have done with it over the years.(less)

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Jake “bad Biblical fan fiction” That line made me chuckle. I’d never thought of that angle. Nicely quipped!
Milton isn’t for everyone. Way to not submissiv...more
Jul 08, 2009 11:09am

Raven Loweframe You have a point - several in fact. Even though I really liked the poem - I have to admit that some elements did not sat well with me. And certainly,...more
Mar 15, 2013 03:08am

Oct 05, 2012 Ketabna /كتابُنا rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: قطوف

الفردوس المفقود
جون ميلتون
ولد ميلتون عام 1608 في لندن وكان أبوه أول من تمرد في أسرته على الكاثوليكية، وعلى إثر ذلك حرمه أبوه من الميراث مما اضطره إلى العمل حتى يكسب الرزق، فعمل كاتبًا عموميًا في لندن ينسخ المخطوطات والوثائق والمستندات. ولكنه سرعان ما عزف عن هذا العمل واحترف الموسيقى وتأليف الأغاني، ولا شك أن الموسيقى هيأت لجون الصغير مناخـًا مواتيًا لتفتح مواهبه فأولع بالموسيقى وهو صغير، وانكب على الدرس والاطلاع منذ نعومة أظافره ويقول عن ذلك:-
"نذرني والدي للأدب منذ طفولتي، وقد كانت لدي شهية بالغة...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Brian Robbins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poetry

By reading “Paradise Lost” I at last solved a problem for myself, but created a new one.

THE PROBLEM SOLVED
On a few previous occasions I’ve begun the poem, only to give up at best, after a couple of the twelve books. The reason being that I’d get to the end of a page of wonderful sound and rhythms, think “What have I just read?”, only to realise that while I’d read the words, I’d not taken any meaning from them. Reading it was like taking a mental slide across a sheet of ice.

First time it happen...more By reading “Paradise Lost” I at last solved a problem for myself, but created a new one.

THE PROBLEM SOLVED
On a few previous occasions I’ve begun the poem, only to give up at best, after a couple of the twelve books. The reason being that I’d get to the end of a page of wonderful sound and rhythms, think “What have I just read?”, only to realise that while I’d read the words, I’d not taken any meaning from them. Reading it was like taking a mental slide across a sheet of ice.

First time it happened when I was in my late teens, so I could dismiss panic about suffering early onset short-term memory problems. I’d try again, really concentrating very hard indeed with clenched teeth and buttocks. Progress this way was so slow and painful that I lost the will to read it, if not to live. So one of greatest poems in the English language (so I was assured by reliable sources) remained unread - for years.

But this time I cracked it. Hurrah!

First, I started taking a little pocket edition of Milton’s poems for an early morning walk in the local nature reserve and reading as I walked. Each time I got home from reading the pocket edition, I could then enjoy Blake’s illustrations in the large edition. Reading while walking is an old habit - and I’ve never yet crashed into a thing. A friend once commented that he’d watched me passing by his house, book in hand and heading straight for a post box. He confessed to being most disappointed when I’d stepped round it at the last moment, without stopping reading (So sorry to have disappointed him).

Second, I read it aloud as I walked along. This may have disturbed local wild life, and had other early morning walkers on the brink of ringing for assistance, but at least the content came alive.

Third, I ignored the fact that it was supposed to be “one of greatest poems in the English language” and read it simply as a story, and wow what a brilliantly told story.

THE NEW PROBLEM
I’ve now let myself in for yet a new diversion away from other intended reading.

First, the poem was so good that I’ve only scratched the surface this time round (But that’s far better than sliding over the surface and making no mark on it) and need now to go back to enjoy the detail. This will probably now wait for a little while.

Second, I unread on my Inklings bookshelf for years has been C. S. Lewis’ “Preface to Paradise Lost”. I’ve skimmed and dipped into parts of it because I like his writing, but I believe that introductions and prefaces should always be read after the book they are about, not before. That now means that it just has to come off the shelf – and immediately – to be enjoyed at last.

Next time round with “Paradise Lost”, I might actually get round to commenting on the poem.
(less)

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Oct 14, 2010 Venus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

one of the best...بهشت گمشده نام اثری است حماسی که توسط شاعر انگلیسی قرن هفدهم جان میلتون نوشته شده است. اولین چاپ این اثر در ده بخش و ده هزار بند مجزا در سال 1667 منتشر شد.
چاپ دوم کتاب که به نظم و قافیه در آن بیشتر توجه شده بود در دوازده بخش (به روش تقسیم بندی آئنید اثر ویرژیل) با بازنگری کلی و در سال 1674 منتشر شد. بخش عمدهٔ این اثر زمانی نوشته شده که میلتون بینایی خویش را از دست داده بوده است و این حماسه را برای نویسندگان بازخوانی کرده است.
این حماسه روایت مسیحی ست از سقوط انسان: وسوسهٔ آدم و...more

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Aug 03, 2009 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the beginning, there was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. Some time after that, there was John Milton. He took the written word, already beautiful in itself, and set it to the music of verse.

Paradise Lost is a poetic exegesis of the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. In it, Milton recounts the story of the two falls that marred the beauty of God's creation. First, the fall of Satan and his demons. Second the fall of Adam and Eve from sinless perfection. Wo...more In the beginning, there was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. Some time after that, there was John Milton. He took the written word, already beautiful in itself, and set it to the music of verse.

Paradise Lost is a poetic exegesis of the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. In it, Milton recounts the story of the two falls that marred the beauty of God's creation. First, the fall of Satan and his demons. Second the fall of Adam and Eve from sinless perfection. Woven into the story are a number of threads that enhance both the beauty of the story and our understanding of it: the war in heaven and subsequent expulsion of Satan and his demons, the creation of the heavens and earth, the creation of Adam and Eve, their temptation and fall, and the promise of redemption. The major elements of the story come directly from Scripture. He fleshes them out with details that are imagined, but certainly not inconsistent with the Bible. Milton's was a redeemed imagination on the order of Dante, and somehow he was able to reflect some of the glory that might have been when our first parents walked naked and unashamed through the garden. His descriptions of Heaven, Eden, and the sinless state of Adam and Eve have inspired countless authors who have imitated and borrowed from him over the centuries.

Like all great works of literature, Paradise Lost is brilliant in its scope and execution. It was executed by a poet of the highest order, who was also an accomplished theologian. Milton chose as his models the great epic poems of antiquity with the intent of creating the first epic poem in the english language. For a lesser poet to aspire to such a lofty goal might be hubris. Milton not only aspired to it, he succeeded and in so doing established himself as one of the greatest poets of all time. The aesthetic excellence of this work is beyond question. Critics have praised it since its first publication. That he accomplished this feat while blind is hardly to be believed. To conceive of a poem on the scale of Paradise Lost, to organize one's thoughts, to recite, listen, edit, and complete this masterpiece required a strength and stamina that only comes with genius that has been cultivated over a lifetime.

Milton is one of the giants of literature on whose shoulders many have since stood.

Having said all of this, I must confess that there are a few things that I don't understand about PL. First is the reaction of those who claim that Satan is somehow either the hero or the most interesting character. From the beginning, it is clear that Satan is a hero only to himself and his sycophantic demons. He lies to everyone, including himself. Even the famous line about it being better to reign in Hell than rule in Heaven is a lie, since no one really reigns in Hell. Satan is as much God's subject in Hell as he was before his fall. His self-aggrandizing speeches have no foundation in reality. There is no question of his ability to mount a successful rebellion against God, as it does not exist. He and his demons were kept at bay by angels during the war in heaven, then easily dispatched to Hell by Christ, the second person of the Trinity. There is nothing noble about Satan, his lies, his delusions, or his successful attack on man. It takes an intentional mis-reading of the text to glean any admirable quality from Satan.

The second is the reaction of many toward Eve. I have heard Milton referred to as a misogynist, and seen PL used as evidence. Again, it seems to be a deliberate mis-reading of the text. Prior to the fall, Eve is as noble as Adam in every way. They have different, complimentary attributes, and are each perfectly suited to the roles for which they were created: Adam for dominion of the world, Eve for its domestication. It is not until after the fall that Eve is presented as inferior to Adam, and that comes primarily from Adam, who is now fallen, and cannot be trusted to speak truth. Yes, there is the discourse between Adam and Raphael wherein Adam speaks of Eve in a somewhat derogatory fashion. But even here, Adam is using hyperbole, and is rebuked by the angel for going too far. This also occurs after Satan has infiltrated creation and made his presence felt.

The Norton Critical Edition is wonderful. Mr. Teskey's introduction, explanatory notes, and supplementary reading material are quite helpful in understanding Milton's poem. I highly recommend this edition to anyone interested in exploring Milton's epic.(less)

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Feb 04, 2009 Trudi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-want-to-marry, angels-and-demons, classics, prose-that-sings, love-the-title

It's the war in heaven, it's the Fall, it's the banishment from Eden, it's Milton...just a few of my favourite things, not because I believe in all this stuff, but because I think it makes for such magnificent melodrama, especially in the capable hands of John Milton. Lucifer/Satan has always struck me as such a tragic figure, the classic anti-hero (Byronic ... Shakespearean even)...the ambitious over-reacher just before his figurative (and literal) fall. In this light, it's almost impossible no...more

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Jan 08, 2010 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unabridged audio.

I would have given this 5 stars for artistic content and it's ability to provoke thought, but it is in archaic language, so unfair as that is I dropped one star as it makes it a little more difficult for the modern reader (listener). Still this is a timeless poem/story and listening to it for yourself can clear up some misconceptions that have come to commonly accepted/

For example, Satan's statement "it's better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven" has come to be thought of...more

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Oct 03, 2009 عاطف عثمان rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arabic, owned, dust-proof

عادة ما أقرأ النصين الإنجليزي والعربي سطرا بسطر .. يعجبني مجهود دكتور عناني جدا ... أحد الأسباب التي تجعلني لا أنتهي من قراءتها أنني دائما ما أبدأ قراءتها من الصفحة الأولي في كل مرة لفرط إعجابي.

النسخة العربية ربما لا تتجاوز 22 جنيها مصريا على ما أذكر

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Dec 27, 2012 Laurele rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2008, books-read-in-2009, books-read-in-2010, kindle, books-read-in-2011, books-read-in-2012, audible

Surely one of the greatest books of all time! It's worth reading at least once a year. This year (2008) was Milton's 400th. Now it's 2011. I've read it every year for the past four years.

It's 2012 now, and I am reading it again, this time to compare Milton to Dante.

The biggest difference I have come away with this time is one of temperature: Dante is all heat and emotion, whereas Milton is a man of cool logic. Which do I like better? Both.

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Jun 12, 2009 Mariah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Milton is an absolute genius. The thought that he put into the creation of this book is absolutely astounding. Of course, it has it's bad stories too, not every writer beats his daughters if the story doesn't sound right to him. But with that ignored for the sake of sanity, I love paradise lost.

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Mar 05, 2012 Razmatus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

The best edition of this thing that I saw. Unlike other editions from different publishers, which often do have the explanations at the back of the book (taking a ton of time just turning pages to get an explanation, which is damn annoying if you ask me), this one has on-page explanation, which makes it a ton faster and more effective read... and honestly, without those explanations, I wouldnt understand a lot of stuff

the explanations are so nicely accessible that the reader can easily notice th...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Phillip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-among-favorites, literature, poetry, my-visionaries

I have read this book at least 10 times. Oh, I've read it more times than that. I was introduced to "Paradise Lost" by the professor of my Sophomore level poetry class that I took during my Senior year as an undergraduate in order to take care of a requirement for graduation.

I wasn't taking the class seriously and after the second week the Prof. said she wanted to speak with me after class. She informed me that I wasn't taking the class seriously and that I could do better than that. I was stun...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Mohamed Elshawaf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: أدب-مترجم, مكتبة-الأسرة

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بعد أكثر من ثلاثين يوما أجلس الآن أمام جودريدز وبجانبى هذه الملحمة ,التى ينوء عن حملها أولي العصبة من الرجال, وقد انتهيت منها بعدما انتهت منى..
دعونى ,عذرا, أذرف بعض الدموع لتلك اللحظة التاريخية ........
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أذكر تلك الليلة التى ذهبت فيها لعم طلعت (الراعى الرسمى لمتسولى الكتب بالزقازيق) فلمحت من بعيد شبحا يقبع بجواره يزيد طوله عن طول عم طلعت بعدة أمتار, فهرولت إليه لأنقذه ,كعادتى البطولية, فوجدت عم طلعت كعادته بيشيش ويسمع العاشرة مساءا. فتوقفت ونظرت إلى هذا الشبح فوجدته خمس كتب من ال...more ............
بعد أكثر من ثلاثين يوما أجلس الآن أمام جودريدز وبجانبى هذه الملحمة ,التى ينوء عن حملها أولي العصبة من الرجال, وقد انتهيت منها بعدما انتهت منى..
دعونى ,عذرا, أذرف بعض الدموع لتلك اللحظة التاريخية ........
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أذكر تلك الليلة التى ذهبت فيها لعم طلعت (الراعى الرسمى لمتسولى الكتب بالزقازيق) فلمحت من بعيد شبحا يقبع بجواره يزيد طوله عن طول عم طلعت بعدة أمتار, فهرولت إليه لأنقذه ,كعادتى البطولية, فوجدت عم طلعت كعادته بيشيش ويسمع العاشرة مساءا. فتوقفت ونظرت إلى هذا الشبح فوجدته خمس كتب من الفردوس المفقود!
فلما وجدت نفسى فشلت فى إنقاذ عم طلعت الذى -وياللأسف الشديد- لم يتعرض لأى شبح, قررت أن أنتقم من هذا الشبح, فدفعت إلى عم طلعت ثمن الكتاب (15 جنيه),وحملته معى, أو لنقل جررته خلفى....
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إذا فماذا وجدت ياصاح؟
بدأت قصة الملحمة منذ أن عصى الشيطان ربه هو وعصبته فقرروا الخروج عن طاعة الله.. وبدأت -كما يصور ميلتون- مبارزة فى أرجاء السماء بين ملائكة العرش والملائكة الفاسقين انتهت بحدفهم فى الجحيم... فقرر الرب -كما يصور ميلتون أيضا- خلق الإنسان لتمجيد ألوهيته وإثبات قدرته على خلق أى كائن, ويتطوع المسيح لشطب كل خطايا الإنسان بفداءه نفسه..
ثم يغوى الشيطان حواء لتغوى هى بدورها آدم فينتهى الأمر إلى انتهاء حياة الرغد فى الفروس .. لتبدأ معاناة البشرية حين يهبطان إلى الأرض...
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رغم اختلافى العقائدى الشديد مع ما ذكر بخصوص المسيح وعلاقته بالله.. إلا أنى اعتقد أنه كما يوجد نقاط خلاف بين العقيدتين فهناك الكثير أيضا من نقاط الاتصال..
لا أعرف كيف وصل خيال ميلتون إلى تلك الحدود, فصورها بأروع الصور التى تليق حقا بالصور السماوية...
ترجمة محمد عنانى رائعة (أفضل بكثير من ترجمة شكسبير – ضجة فارغة)
أعتقد أنه بدون الحواشى لما استطعت أن انهى الكتاب, فالملحمة مليئة بلمحات عن الأساطير اليونانية, وأشياء أخرى مبهمة, فتكفلت الحواشى بشرحها...
لكن مشكلة الحواشى أنها نقدية أكثر من توضيحية..
...........
تجليد الكتاب تحفة, والطباعة فخمة.. دا غير إضافات عنانى اللى فى نهاية الكتاب ...
أتمنى إن هيئة الكتاب تستمر على سياستها القديمة فى إصدار مثل هذه الكتب, خاصة وأنهم يعانون الآن من قلة الموارد .
(less)

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Feb 20, 2013 Don Incognito rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A couple of observations:

As far as I noticed, the Holy Spirit does not appear in Paradise Lost. When the Persons of the Trinity appear, it is only God the Father and God the Son. The reason for that is obvious enough to Bible readers: the more mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit. It is simply impossible to depict the Holy Spirit as a character in a literary work, because unlike with the Father or the Son, the Bible does not give us the kind of information needed to form a literary characterizat

...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Esther rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay. This book should be renamed an ode to satan. Seriously, this dude just portrayed satan in such a pitiful light that you felt GUILTY for ever thinking bad about this guy. I thought it portrayed him as a rebellious teenager who just wanted to get back at his father(God) by doing the complete opposite of the father's morals. satan was the first rebellious teenager.

As I read this book I was completely
shocked. I never imagined hell this way. I never imagined satan this way! In a way, he kind o...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: Good Reading

Shelves: classics, 100-significant-books, poetry, fantasy, fiction

Even though I don't hold with religious belief, that didn't stop me from adoring Dante's Divine Comedy and I've loved Homer's epic poems. Yet I can't say that Milton's Paradise Lost spoke to me. Much of the poem felt repetitive and bloated with discourses on such matters as heliocentric theory. His recapitulation of Genesis is part plagiarism, part bizarre twisting. (Among other things, according to Milton, "God the Son" who would become Jesus was really the Creator.) Unlike Dante, who never los...more

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Sep 06, 2009 Manny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, blame-jordan-if-you-like, parody-homage, why-not-call-it-poetry, mentions-twilight, story-review

(Joint review with JORDAN)

[A projection room somewhere in Hollywood. Two middle-aged men are looking at a screen, currently empty:]

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: [for it is he:] Okay Mike, now you've been playing this pretty close to your chest. Show me what you've got.

MICHAEL BAY: I'd love to.

[The film starts. We see the Garden of Eden. Nothing much is happening. The camera pans around and finally looks at some pretty KUROSAWA-inspired clouds. On the voiceover, ANTHONY HOPKINS, as the Narrator, is reading...more

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Jul 08, 2008 Aeisele rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poetry

Kierkegaard once said of Hegel's philosophic system that if at the end Hegel had said this was all a big thought experiment and joke, then Kierkegaard would have thought Hegel the most brilliant of philosophers. Of course, for Hegel it wasn't a joke, but I feel the same way about Milton's Christianity. This is really a caricature of Christianity, an imaginative attempt, perhaps, but laughable as a discussion of the realities. It was also one of the most misogynistic books I've ever read.
Which...more

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Jun 15, 2008 Brianne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am not Christian so I didn't have any of the guilt some readers might feel when they start to root for Satan at the start of this poem. He seems kind of dreamy in a tall, dark, handsome and...umm...evil sort of way. So yeah, if you believe in what the bible says, he really screwed things up for us. But if he hadn't, I probably wouldn't have so much fun when I drink. On the other hand, I am not a big fan of that whole sleeping with his own daughter, Sin and spawning Death and then Death sleepin...more

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Aug 31, 2007 John Wiswell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Poetry readers, epics readers, classics readers, literary readers, religious readers

Normally I dislike poetry for its highly artificial language and deviations from quality storytelling, but some poets created true and undeniable beauty from the artform. Paradise Lost is such a work. It nails its subject matter, picking up after the fall of Satan, showing the first debate in the court of Hell, the original love of Adam and Eve, their fall, the new love between them once fallen, and most sweet of all, the love of Christ – it’s not a poem of original sin, but original emotion. Ev...more

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May 19, 2008 Shawn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

As Dante's Divine Comedy is considered the greatest poem of the Italian language, I consider Paradise Lost to be one of the greatest works of English literature. There is an inexplicable sense of the sublime when reading a work of someone who completely commands a language. The cosmology of the universe as imagined by Milton is breath-taking, especially considering 17th century people didn't have a collective consciousness of the universe as we do with cinematic special effects and NASA photo ga...more

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About John Milton

John Milton was an English poet, prose polemicist, and civil servant for the English Commonwealth. Most famed for his epic poem Paradise Lost, Milton is celebrated as well for his eloquent treatise condemning censorship, Areopagitica. Long considered the supreme English poet, Milton experienced a dip in popularity after attacks by T.S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis in the mid 20th century; but with multip...more

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Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained (Signet Classics)

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Quotes from Paradise Lost

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..” — 2,281 people liked it

“Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” — 329 people liked it

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