Milton's Paradise Lost: Lecture on Books I-II (Patreon)

'Hurled headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky, with hideous ruin and combustion, down to bottomless perdition, there to dwell in adamantine chains and penal fire...'

We begin our journey through one of the greatest works of literature by meeting Milton's Satan.

We're discussing the anxiety of influence, the sublimity of Satan, responding to scripture and ancient epics, fall narratives, disobedience, resentment, appreciating great poetry, and much more.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 breaking into Paradise Lost
• 1:00 Milton’s anxiety of influence
• 3:00 on Johnson’s ‘Life of Milton’
• 6:00 the experience of reading this epic
• 7:00 Milton’s desire to be the first
• 10:00 how great writers begin their epics
• 12:00 reading the opening together
• 20:00 Milton’s revision of scripture
• 23:00 ‘unattempted yet in prose or rhyme’
• 24:00 epic’s elevation of style & theme
• 26:00 ‘of man’s first disobedience’
• 29:00 ‘justify the ways of God to men’
• 30:00 ‘what in me is dark illumine’
• 32:00 the Miltonic religion of one
• 35:00 meeting with Milton’s Satan
• 37:00 on the English Civil War
• 40:00 the composition of Paradise Lost
• 41:00 ‘hurled headlong flaming…’
• 43:00 Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound
• 44:00 on pride narratives of the fall
• 45:00 feeling sympathy for the devil
• 47:00 why does Milton begin with Satan?
• 50:00 the sublimity of the fallen angel
• 54:00 Galileo as the Tuscan artist
• 55:00 ‘better to reign in hell…’
• 56:00 the resentment of Milton’s Satan
• 59:00 meeting the host of rebel angels
• 1:00:00 ‘from morn to noon he fell…’
• 1:03:00 the building of Pandemonium
• 1:03:00 the physiology of the angels
• 1:05:00 appreciating the Miltonic line
• 1:06:00 heaven & hell as states of mind
• 1:08:00 sitting in the council of hell
• 1:10:00 the hierarchy of the cosmos
• 1:14:00 the decision to corrupt mankind
• 1:15:00 Satan’s voyage from hell
• 1:20:00 your thoughts on Paradise Lost?

Resources:

• Life of Milton: Dr Samuel Johnson's critical review of Milton's work makes a fantastic entrance to Paradise Lost. It's worth studying how Johnson approaches aesthetic appreciation. You can read his 'Life of Milton' in the Oxford edition of his major works here.
• Anxiety of Influence: As we make our way through Milton's masterpiece, it may be worth revisiting Harold Bloom's theory of influence in his slim tract here or by listening to our podcast on his theory here.
• Poet of Revolution: For more historical contextualisation, Nicholas McDowell does an excellent job with his book on the making of John Milton.
• Prometheus Bound: Aeschylus makes a tremendous pairing with the opening to Paradise Lost, so you might wish to revisit our lecture on Prometheus Bound here.
• The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates: If you're interested in exploring some of Milton's prose, you might wish to start with his essay defending regicide. This is available in the Oxford Classics edition of his major works here.
• The Sublime: We have recommended the work of Edmund Burke before, but Milton prompts a rewarding return to 'A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origins of the Sublime and Beautiful' which is available in Penguin paperback.
• How to Read Paradise Lost: For readers looking for a refresher on how best to break into this masterpiece, our introductory lecture is here.

Questions for You:

1) How do you feel about the opening to Paradise Lost?

2) What do you make of Milton's representation of Satan?

3) What lines, passages, or ideas resonate the most with you?

Happy reading, everybody!