Book Bearings
Paradise Lost
- 333 pages · about 6 hours
- First published 1667
- 396 editions
- Free to read
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1 About this book
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by John Milton, first published in 1667 and rearranged into twelve books in 1674. It retells the biblical story of the fall of man. The poem opens in Hell, where Satan and the angels who rebelled with him have been cast down after their defeat; he rallies them and sets out to find the newly created world and the two human beings God has placed in it. A second strand of the story follows Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the poem tells of their temptation and what comes of it.
- Biography
- History of Biblical events
- Mathematics
- Bible
- Devil
- Illustrations
- Latin poetry
- Poetry
2 What to expect
Milton's epic poem of the Fall: Satan's rebellion and revenge, and the temptation of Adam and Eve in Eden. It is written in grand, intricate blank verse, with long sentences and a wealth of classical and biblical allusion, and it is most gripping in the early books, where Satan dominates. It is long and demanding, a poem to read slowly, preferably aloud and in an edition with notes.
Good for readers who want: a great English epic, the story of the Fall, and poetry that rewards close reading.
3 Read it free, right here
A free scan from the Internet Archive opens right here on the page, with no sign-up.
Read it on the Internet Archive4 About John Milton
Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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