Paradise Lost
A Biography
Published on 3. June 2025
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-691-23857-9 (ISBN)
Description
The life and times of Milton's epic poem about Satan's revolt against God and humanity's expulsion from paradise
John Milton's Paradise Lost has secured its place in the pantheon of epic poems, but unlike almost all other works in the pantheon, it is intimately associated with religious doctrine and its implications for how we live our lives. For more than three centuries, it has been a flashpoint for arguments not just about Christianity but also about governance, rebellion and obedience, sexual politics, and what makes poetry great. Alan Jacobs tells the story of Milton's enduring poem, shedding light on its composition and reception and explaining why it resonates so powerfully with us today.
Composed through dictation after Milton went blind in 1652, Paradise Lost centers on an ancient biblical answer to the eternal question of how evil came into the world. It has proved impossible to disentangle the defense or critique of the poem from attitudes toward Christianity itself. Does Christian theology entail monarchy or democracy? Are relations between the sexes thwarted by pompous and tyrannical men or by vain and disobedient women? Jacobs traces how generations of readers have grappled with these and other questions, along the way revealing how Milton's poem influenced novelists like Mary Shelley and Philip Pullman and has served as the inspiration for paintings, operas, comic books, and video games.
An essential companion to Milton's poetic masterpiece, this book shows why Paradise Lost continues to serve as a mirror reflecting our own complex attitudes about power and authority, justice and revolt, and sin and salvation.
John Milton's Paradise Lost has secured its place in the pantheon of epic poems, but unlike almost all other works in the pantheon, it is intimately associated with religious doctrine and its implications for how we live our lives. For more than three centuries, it has been a flashpoint for arguments not just about Christianity but also about governance, rebellion and obedience, sexual politics, and what makes poetry great. Alan Jacobs tells the story of Milton's enduring poem, shedding light on its composition and reception and explaining why it resonates so powerfully with us today.
Composed through dictation after Milton went blind in 1652, Paradise Lost centers on an ancient biblical answer to the eternal question of how evil came into the world. It has proved impossible to disentangle the defense or critique of the poem from attitudes toward Christianity itself. Does Christian theology entail monarchy or democracy? Are relations between the sexes thwarted by pompous and tyrannical men or by vain and disobedient women? Jacobs traces how generations of readers have grappled with these and other questions, along the way revealing how Milton's poem influenced novelists like Mary Shelley and Philip Pullman and has served as the inspiration for paintings, operas, comic books, and video games.
An essential companion to Milton's poetic masterpiece, this book shows why Paradise Lost continues to serve as a mirror reflecting our own complex attitudes about power and authority, justice and revolt, and sin and salvation.
Reviews / Votes
"A concise, lively and learned account of the poem's creation and reception."---Dana Gioia, Wall Street Journal "A concise summary of Paradise Lost as a work of theological and social inquiry, together with its literary impact." * Kirkus Reviews * "Excellent. . . . The reader comes away from Jacobs's short, stimulating volume with a sense of how thoroughly Milton realized his ambition that he 'might perhaps leave something so written to after times, as they should not willingly let it die.'"---Katherine Howell, National Review "A relaxed and engaging introduction to John Milton's classic poem."---Terry Potter, Letterpress Project "However many people may dislike Milton, however many may dislike as well his religious beliefs, we still have to face up to the fact that Paradise Lost was a monument of English literature, and this is what Jacobs does with polished insight and adroitness."---Peter Costello, The Irish Catholic "Clearly written, insightful, informative. . .and scrupulously balanced, Jacobs has delivered an excellent book. I will often refer to it when I next attempt to read Milton's great but forbidding epic."---Alan Price, London Grip "[Jacobs] has written an enduringly readable work of intellectual history that will justify the ways of Milton to many."---Austin Spendlowe, Times Literary SupplementMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
8 b/w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 205 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
376 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-23857-9 (9780691238579)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2025
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€24.49
Available for download
Person
Alan Jacobs is Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Honors Program at Baylor University. His many books include Breaking Bread with the Dead and The "Book of Common Prayer": A Biography (Princeton). His writing has appeared in leading publications such as The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, and the Atlantic.