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Life and Writings of John Milton
High quality, university level teaching! Course Lecture Titles (12 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture) 1. Introduction to Milton's Life and Art 2. Milton's Early Poetry 3. “Lycidas” 4. Political Milton 5. Paradise Lost—An Introduction 6. Paradise Lost, Book I 7. Paradise Lost, Book II 8. Paradise Lost, Book III 9. Book IV—Theatrical Milton 10. Book IX—The Fall 11. Late Milton—Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes 12. Milton's Living Influence
6 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 1999
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About the author
Seth Lerer
33 books19 followersProfessor Seth Lerer (1956 -) is a contemporary Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stanford University, specialising in historical analyses of the English language, in addition to critical analyses of the works of several authors, including in particular Geoffrey Chaucer.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 4, 2014
Prof. Lerer's lectures aided me in understanding Milton and has readied my palate for some of Milton's works I have never before dug into. On the other hand, his whole lecture series is centered around the theory that Milton's complete works are autobiographical and an attempt to justify his written art to his musical father. I find that conjecture extremely hard to believe, but don't care enough to look into it more. Also, Dr. Lerer has the hippie-belief that the sound of the poem is somehow equally or more important than the meaning of the words. That is manifest in his fast and therefore boring reading of Milton.
Prof. Lerer explains that Milton is full of references too esoteric for any person ever to understand and so you should just read quickly to get the sound of the author. I never found any joy doing that. When the Latin works are read "just for the sound", I got bored after about two or three seconds. Meaning is the pay off in English, not the sound. I don't give a crap what complicated things academics say to impress their peers at cocktail parties. His belief damages the technique for some of the English verse too. When the lecturer reads the English verses too fast, the listener loses the meaning of all sorts of fun little words and analogies.
The center theme of these lectures is that Milton's works are autobiographical. His first published poem is about his literary father, Shakespeare. His second poem, On the Birth of Christ's Nativity, is about his own birth as a writer etc. Everything he writes is actually about Milton's own place in history. Anyone who lives in the real world should have trouble with this magical belief. The lecturer even goes on to say that Shelly and T.S. Elliot are like literary sons who try to protect their posterity from the satanic ancestry that is Milton. That ever-present conjecture ranges from fun to annoying.
I don't think I will ever read all of Paradise Lost (which mentioned every single person in recorded history at the time. "None wished in longer" quoth Johnson). But maybe I will give Samson Agonistes a try now. It was worth listening to these lectures, for me, just to have a sampling of works I have never tried and to know their place history. Maybe a different lecture series about Milton, if it exists, would have been better.
Prof. Lerer explains that Milton is full of references too esoteric for any person ever to understand and so you should just read quickly to get the sound of the author. I never found any joy doing that. When the Latin works are read "just for the sound", I got bored after about two or three seconds. Meaning is the pay off in English, not the sound. I don't give a crap what complicated things academics say to impress their peers at cocktail parties. His belief damages the technique for some of the English verse too. When the lecturer reads the English verses too fast, the listener loses the meaning of all sorts of fun little words and analogies.
The center theme of these lectures is that Milton's works are autobiographical. His first published poem is about his literary father, Shakespeare. His second poem, On the Birth of Christ's Nativity, is about his own birth as a writer etc. Everything he writes is actually about Milton's own place in history. Anyone who lives in the real world should have trouble with this magical belief. The lecturer even goes on to say that Shelly and T.S. Elliot are like literary sons who try to protect their posterity from the satanic ancestry that is Milton. That ever-present conjecture ranges from fun to annoying.
I don't think I will ever read all of Paradise Lost (which mentioned every single person in recorded history at the time. "None wished in longer" quoth Johnson). But maybe I will give Samson Agonistes a try now. It was worth listening to these lectures, for me, just to have a sampling of works I have never tried and to know their place history. Maybe a different lecture series about Milton, if it exists, would have been better.
June 22, 2016
Justified enlightenment
" First off...I recommend these lectures and the material covered despite the '3' rating. Buy it, when it goes on deep discount.
I first encountered Milton in a survey of English Lit in my first year of college...liked his story (blind guy dictates an incredibly intricate poem to his daughters)...but hated his blank-verse poetry. In addition, to understand his poetry, one needed to be (very) well versed in the deep history of his allusionary characters and obscure words, AND be able to pass the weekly quizzes (that counted for 30% of your grade). Did I root for the devil in Book 2 & 9? Youbetcha! As Dr Lerer says: "God is repetitious, Satan is allusive. Put another way (as we will see thematically in the course of the poem), God is an author, Satan is a reader." And since we all like to read....
But I digress...Dr Lerer proves himself to be the quintessential spokesman for Milton and presents each lecture with unbounded enthusiasm. He clearly know and loves Milton's works and is simply brilliant in some of the resuscitation from Milton's poems. Nobody does Milton better.
However, (and you knew this was coming) I have to agree with old Sam Johnson when he said: "noone wished it longer." I tried and retired to read even the good parts of 'Paradise Lost'...and utterly failed, despite the clear explanations from the lectures. Milton simply uses too many words...words that I am continually having to look-up.
To sum...I'm of two minds with these lectures. First, I learned a lot about the context of Milton's works and in turn the meaning that heretofore may have been elusive...he was a very smart dude. Second, I cannot read 'Paradise Lost', no matter how hard I try. I got through 'Lycidas' and found it enjoyable. Others have said that 'Samson Agonistes' is a good read (I'll try that one...later).
When considering purchase be reminded that..."They also serve who only stand and wait." You'll be rewarded (especially if you have a coupon). "
" First off...I recommend these lectures and the material covered despite the '3' rating. Buy it, when it goes on deep discount.
I first encountered Milton in a survey of English Lit in my first year of college...liked his story (blind guy dictates an incredibly intricate poem to his daughters)...but hated his blank-verse poetry. In addition, to understand his poetry, one needed to be (very) well versed in the deep history of his allusionary characters and obscure words, AND be able to pass the weekly quizzes (that counted for 30% of your grade). Did I root for the devil in Book 2 & 9? Youbetcha! As Dr Lerer says: "God is repetitious, Satan is allusive. Put another way (as we will see thematically in the course of the poem), God is an author, Satan is a reader." And since we all like to read....
But I digress...Dr Lerer proves himself to be the quintessential spokesman for Milton and presents each lecture with unbounded enthusiasm. He clearly know and loves Milton's works and is simply brilliant in some of the resuscitation from Milton's poems. Nobody does Milton better.
However, (and you knew this was coming) I have to agree with old Sam Johnson when he said: "noone wished it longer." I tried and retired to read even the good parts of 'Paradise Lost'...and utterly failed, despite the clear explanations from the lectures. Milton simply uses too many words...words that I am continually having to look-up.
To sum...I'm of two minds with these lectures. First, I learned a lot about the context of Milton's works and in turn the meaning that heretofore may have been elusive...he was a very smart dude. Second, I cannot read 'Paradise Lost', no matter how hard I try. I got through 'Lycidas' and found it enjoyable. Others have said that 'Samson Agonistes' is a good read (I'll try that one...later).
When considering purchase be reminded that..."They also serve who only stand and wait." You'll be rewarded (especially if you have a coupon). "
August 14, 2014
When I was in school I primarily took courses in science. Now that I am retired I thought I might look into areas I neglected in my life such as poetry. I chose this Great Course on The Life and Writings of John Milton as a way to obtain a lot of concise information so I would have a good understanding of Milton. Professor Seth Lerer is a professor at Comparative Literature at Stanford.
John Milton (1608-1674) is considered one of the great writers in the history of English literature. This lecture series exams Milton’s life and his poems. Lerer goes a bit into 17th century English life and culture to show its impact on Milton’s writings. Milton wrote in a time of religious flux and political upheaval. Lerer points out that Milton wrote in English, Latin, Greek and Italian. Milton achieved international renown within his lifetime and is famous for his poem “Areopagitica” (1644). Lerer points out that it was written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship. It is considered one of the most impassioned defense of free speech and freedom of the Press. Lerer covered in-depth the epic poem “Paradise Lost” (1667)
In listening to Lerer discuss and read parts of Milton’s poems, I thought the ideal person to read Milton’s poems would be Richard Burton. This is an ideal introduction to John Milton in an easy to listen to lecture format. I downloaded this Great Courses Lecture Series from Audible.
John Milton (1608-1674) is considered one of the great writers in the history of English literature. This lecture series exams Milton’s life and his poems. Lerer goes a bit into 17th century English life and culture to show its impact on Milton’s writings. Milton wrote in a time of religious flux and political upheaval. Lerer points out that Milton wrote in English, Latin, Greek and Italian. Milton achieved international renown within his lifetime and is famous for his poem “Areopagitica” (1644). Lerer points out that it was written in condemnation of pre-publication censorship. It is considered one of the most impassioned defense of free speech and freedom of the Press. Lerer covered in-depth the epic poem “Paradise Lost” (1667)
In listening to Lerer discuss and read parts of Milton’s poems, I thought the ideal person to read Milton’s poems would be Richard Burton. This is an ideal introduction to John Milton in an easy to listen to lecture format. I downloaded this Great Courses Lecture Series from Audible.
August 12, 2018
Milton is one of the most polarizing poets in English literature, and one of the most challenging to read. As such, it is difficult to condense his life and writings into a short lecture series such as this. It is a good introduction to Miltonic themes, philosophy, poetry, and legacy. Naturally the focus is on Paradise Lost. Five of the twelve lectures are dedicated to the epic poem, but it is discussed in the others as well. These five lectures were the best part of the course.
The lectures needed more biographical, historical, and literary context. Professor Lerer only mentions the milestones of Milton's life, and assumes you know the details of the English Civil War, the religious debates of the time, and Milton's literary influences, contemporaries, successors, and critics. There is a lot of name dropping - Oliver Cromwell, Samuel Johnson, Edmund Spenser, T.S. Elliot, Mary Shelley, etc. - all of whom Lerer assumes the reader knows.
I listened to this course to prep for rereading Paradise Lost. I gleaned many new insights into Milton, particularly how his complicated relationship with paternal authority pervades his poetry. However, I think a novice to Milton or English literature would find this course confusing - and with Milton, you need all the help you can get.
The lectures needed more biographical, historical, and literary context. Professor Lerer only mentions the milestones of Milton's life, and assumes you know the details of the English Civil War, the religious debates of the time, and Milton's literary influences, contemporaries, successors, and critics. There is a lot of name dropping - Oliver Cromwell, Samuel Johnson, Edmund Spenser, T.S. Elliot, Mary Shelley, etc. - all of whom Lerer assumes the reader knows.
I listened to this course to prep for rereading Paradise Lost. I gleaned many new insights into Milton, particularly how his complicated relationship with paternal authority pervades his poetry. However, I think a novice to Milton or English literature would find this course confusing - and with Milton, you need all the help you can get.
December 31, 2020
Professor Lerer has great enthusiasm for Milton and his rendering of passages in Paradise Lost is marvelous. He even got off a train in Italy to track down a metaphor about leaves in a small community that Milton mentioned in the poem.Others are not so keen: the great 18th century critic Dr Johnson wrote about Paradise Lost " none wished it longer" as he felt Milton's love of rhetoric was excessive and his arguments circular. More modern poets like TS Eliot were similarly critical.Milton's portrayal of Eve as wanton,while typical of Puritans in the 17th century ,is especially grating to a 21st century audience. Prof Lerer acknowledges that Milton is controversial, asking in his concluding lecture do readers find Milton great or boring? He makes a valiant attempt to defend the poet( even saying that he reads Paradise Lost annually which some would find cruel and unusual punishment) and his keenness led me to reread Milton for the first time since college.So Lerer achieved his goal of having at least one reader returning to the poets work but I still feel now as I did as a student that Dr Johnson is right.
June 6, 2024
Very informative lectures. I came in knowing nothing about Milton, and felt like I got a pretty good overview of his life and involvement in politics, as well as 3-4 lectures on Paradise Lost itself and its effects on literature and thought.
The lecturer referred quite a bit to the medieval mindset and what his work would have meant to his contemporaries, which gave me a fair bit of confidence in his assessments. He also mentioned Lewis and others who (as he stated) looked at it from a more modern perspective, as well as modern feminist interpretation, but doesn’t spend much time on these. I found it especially interesting to hear him talk about the influence of Paradise Lost on Shelley’s Frankenstein, and by extension the history of sci-fi stories.
The lecturer referred quite a bit to the medieval mindset and what his work would have meant to his contemporaries, which gave me a fair bit of confidence in his assessments. He also mentioned Lewis and others who (as he stated) looked at it from a more modern perspective, as well as modern feminist interpretation, but doesn’t spend much time on these. I found it especially interesting to hear him talk about the influence of Paradise Lost on Shelley’s Frankenstein, and by extension the history of sci-fi stories.
May 7, 2023
I wanted to learn about John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost. However, these lectures do not seem to be the right way. The lectures are based on the author's personal tastes instead of literacy analysis methodology. The first few lectures, which I listened to, were about Milton’s poems. The lectures contain large excerpt sections of Milton’s work with relatively few comments. At least, the lectures are not helpful to people like me, who do not have a literacy analysis background and are not familiar with Milton’s work.
October 7, 2019
Good, but not great. He admits the idea of Satan being the hero (as in, the moral character) as a plausible idea, and can't ignore it because he doesn't really believe you can judge a book by authorial intent-which leaves you with dookie to work with.
If you are ready for the typical in modern literary criticism, it's not bad. I would recommend any resource by Leyland Ryken, C.S. Lewis, or even Louis Markos over this.
If you are ready for the typical in modern literary criticism, it's not bad. I would recommend any resource by Leyland Ryken, C.S. Lewis, or even Louis Markos over this.
September 14, 2018
Even though Lerer’s delivery and rhetoric were occasionally a bit too wooden, the content of this series earned the fifth star. This was an informative and highly interesting exploration of Milton’s life and work, and I particularly enjoyed the analysis of Paradise Lost.
October 20, 2023
I enjoyed these audio lectures for the most part, but I definitely recommend having a copy of Paradise Lost and possibly Paradise Found available for reference as one listens. I do wish there had been more on Milton's personal life and his 3 marriages.
August 22, 2024
Passionate and articulate series of lectures. I knew a bit about Milton already, but still learned a lot from this, and the lecture format was engaging and easy to listen to. My only quibble, there ARE dolphins in the Irish Sea, Professor. We even have them in the North of Scotland…
April 7, 2021
Just okay. It helped me with Paradise Lost, but not that much, which is probably because the poem is a serious challenge.
August 16, 2021
Diving into Milton on Friday the 13th.
December 10, 2021
Informative and interesting enough given the topic.
November 3, 2025
An overwrought tribute to Milton, saturated with overly dramatic readings
January 2, 2023
Milton was blind. Who knew? More importantly, the author of the excellent Paradise Lost was an extremely well-educated and politically-aware poet and author. Some of the views of the author of this book could be contended against, but that Milton influenced others' works can't be denied. Compare for example the animation and sudden self-awareness of the monster in Shelley's Frankenstein to the awakening of Adam at his creation.
The book comments on Milton's lesser-known works, too. Anyone who enjoyed Paradise will no doubt find this background information on Milton of interest.
The book comments on Milton's lesser-known works, too. Anyone who enjoyed Paradise will no doubt find this background information on Milton of interest.
February 21, 2022
Another set of lectures on a literary subject.
Seth Lerer does a fine job though he doesn’t really have a lot to say about the actual life of Milton, it’s more about his poetry. At times he gets a bit more technical than I would like since poetry is less of an interest to me than prose.
Nevertheless, it was interesting and illuminating.
Seth Lerer does a fine job though he doesn’t really have a lot to say about the actual life of Milton, it’s more about his poetry. At times he gets a bit more technical than I would like since poetry is less of an interest to me than prose.
Nevertheless, it was interesting and illuminating.
January 26, 2017
Another great course from The Teaching Company.
I have started "Paradise Lost."
The seventh (albeit audio) book I have finished this year.
I have started "Paradise Lost."
The seventh (albeit audio) book I have finished this year.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews