Paradise Lost: Parallel Prose Edition [Paperback]

"[Dennis] Danielson...has fashioned a powerful pedagogical tool that is a gift to any teacher of Milton whatever the level of instruction." (Stanley Fish, The New York Times, 2008 ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Paradise Lost has long been hailed as one of the most compelling stories of all time. Its cosmic canvas--heaven, hell, chaos, and the Garden of Eden--has enthralled thousands of readers for more than three centuries. For others, however, it has remained an unopened treasure because of the perceived difficulty of its archaic vocabulary and poetic structure. Dennis Danielson's new edition of Milton's great epic offers a vibrant, authoritative rendition in modern prose alongside the original text of Milton's story of heroism, pathos, beauty, and grace, making accessible for the first time a work that continues to be acclaimed as "possibly the most profound meditation on good and evil ever written" (Toronto Globe & Mail, 2000).

John Milton's epic story of cosmic rebellion and the beginning of human history has long been considered one of the greatest and most gripping narratives ever written in English. Yet its intensely poetic language, now-antiquated syntax and vocabulary, and dense allusions to mythical and Biblical figures make it inaccessible to many modern readers. This is, as the critic Harold Bloom wrote in 2000, "a great sorrow, and a true cultural loss." Dennis Danielson aims to open up Milton's epic for a twenty-first-century readership by providing a fluid, accessible rendition in contemporary prose alongside the original. The edition allows readers to experience the power of the original poem without barriers to understanding. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Dennis Danielson is Professor of English at the University of British Columbia. He is the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Milton and author of Milton's Good God: A Study in Literary Theodicy, among other titles. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast Brought Death into the World, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat, Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed, In the Beginning how the Heav’ns and Earth Rose out of Chaos: Or if Sion Hill 10 Delight thee more, and Siloa’s Brook that flow’d Fast by the Oracle of God; I thence Invoke thy aid to my adventrous Song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th’ Aonian Mount, while it pursues Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime. And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost prefer Before all Temples th’ upright heart and pure, Instruct me, for Thou know’st; Thou from the first Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread 20 Dove like satst brooding on the vast Abyss And mad’st it pregnant: What in me is dark Illumine, what is low raise and support; That to the highth of this great Argument I may assert Eternal Providence, And justifie the wayes of God to men. Tell the story, Heavenly Muse: of humankind’s first trespass, of forbidden fruit whose lethal taste brought death and sorrow to our world, and drove us out of Eden—until one greater human should redeem us and regain the happy place we lost. You, on the shrouded peak of Horeb or Sinai, inspired that shepherd who first taught God’s chosen people how, in the beginning, the heavens and the earth rose out of chaos. Now I ask: Be my inspirer too. Or if Mount Zion pleases you more, with Siloam’s waters flowing near the temple of God, then from there I seek your help. For my daring story aims to surpass the ancient muses of Helicon, striving to achieve what no one, in poetry or prose, has ever even attempted. And above all, you who would rather indwell a pure and upright heart than any other temple—you, Spirit, I seek as my teacher; for you know. In the very beginning you were there, like a dove spreading your wings across the vast abyss, infusing it with life. So now give light to me, banish my darkness, and lift me up onto solid ground, that I may scale the heights of this mighty theme: to affirm eternal providence, and justify the ways of God to humankind. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.