Shop For Paradise Lost

Many people I know, (including myself), have a dismal view of poetry, especially epic poems. Those who have had to plod our way through the excruciating Middle English of the Canterbury Tales, the old English of Beowulf, or the now obscure references of the Roman propagandist's Aeneid are rightfully wary of yet another long tale set to verse.

However, I implore the fence sitter to put aside their prejudices and read this book. Unlike all the other famous epic poems, John Milton writes in modern English. Not only that, his writing is absolutely beautiful and enthralling, even for a modern reader. In addition, unlike other epic poems that may have turned off the reader to this art form, John Milton's subject material is approachable and understandable to the modern reader without having to read other books or notes to inform as to the plot of the story. Why is this so? The Aeneid, the Odyssey, and Dante's inferno were written for different times and audiences. The normal reader cannot approach the first two without substantial background reading in Greek and Roman history (and religion). The inferno spends have its time describing the tortures of Dante's enemies (who you don't know of or care about). John Milton, on the other hand, is writing about the Book of Genesis, a story that most in our culture are well versed in. You'll know the main characters (if not all the minor ones), which will give a grounding for Milton's expansion of the story. Aside for the story itself, Milton's philosophical themes are also more modern than any other famous epic poem. Individuality, disobedience, love, redemption, all of these are common themes that Milton expounds upon. You won't spend many pages concerned with the social structure of a vanished civilization.

To conclude, Paradise Lost is a work of Genius. This book is important for overall literacy (just think of all the books that have taken titles and inspiration from its lines). That usually means that the book will be a pill, but not in this case. Milton's verse makes the lines fly by.
Get more detail about Paradise Lost.