John Milton's "Paradise Lost"

[Willpower]

For those of you who have read Paradise Lost front-to-back:

-What is your perspective of it?
-How well does it sync with the Catholic conception of heaven, hell, The Fall, and the philosophy behind everything? (–Question of its accuracy with respect to Catholic teaching.)

I’m surprised that I didn’t already find a post about this book. If you haven’t read it, you definitely should. I feel it is a must-read for any Christian; I find it very intriguing and insightful, regardless of however accurate.

 

[bren19]

I tried to read this book. I couldn’t continue with it. I will need a course on how to read and interpret it, it’s that dense. I am not surprised you have not found another thread on this book.

 

[ManOnFire]

Thanks for the suggestion. I relish the deep.

 

[Willpower]

I tried to read this book. I couldn’t continue with it. I will need a course on how to read and interpret it, it’s that dense. I am not surprised you have not found another thread on this book.

If you try to understand the book word by word, you will get lost. It took me like 100 pages to realize that. But if you read the book like a poem–which it is; an epic poem–by looking beyond the mere words, you will start to understand it and see its beauty. Instead of being caught up in the words themselves, look more toward the image that is being created. The energy behind each line of text. From there, you will see more than you ever could if you went by word by word. You eyes will still pass over each word but you will no longer become inundated and fatigued, once you start focusing instead on the deeper image and meaning that Milton is effectively conveying.

 

[Willpower]

Thanks for the suggestion. I relish the deep.

If you try to understand the book as the text approaches you word by word, you will get lost. It took me like 100 pages to realize that. But if you read the book like a poem–which it is; an epic poem–by looking beyond the mere words, you will start to understand it and see its beauty. Instead of being caught up in understanding the book word by word, look more toward the image that is being created. The energy behind each line of text; focus more on the line of text rather than the words and clauses that the line consists of. From there, you will see more than you ever could if you went by word by word. You eyes will still pass over each word but you will no longer become inundated and fatigued, once you start focusing instead on the lines and develop the deeper image and meaning that Milton is conveying.

There are online versions of the book, as well as audio versions of the book.
If reading is still too hard, check out the audio version, but either way this book is a must. Let me know once you finish (write on my wall or send me a message or whatever).

 

[pkdsquared]

This is one of my favorite books, I have read it several times (after having read the footnotes and re-reading in light of that!). It does take a stab at Catholicism at times, I think he makes reference to a “once saved always saved” type of mentality, which would align a bit with the time period in which he was living in England. His own personal religion is up for grabs, he seems to have been a rebellious Anglican.

The most interesting thing about this book is, together with Dante’s Divine Comedy, it colors what the majority of Westerners think about the fall of man as well as Heaven and Hell. I also really like that Satan is someone you can relate to, you almost feel bad for him-- which makes you think about your own fallen state.

 

[Jeff616]

Would you believe it’s being made into a movie? It’s slated for a 2013 release, ironically Camilla Bella has been cast as Eve! It’s ironic because she is supposed to play Our Lady in the upcoming Mary, Mother of the Christ!