David Hopkins

Reading Paradise Lost (eBook, PDF)

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Reading Paradise Lost "This lucid and entirely jargon-free guide to Paradise Lost will help any reader of the poem to find their feet, and to understand what makes it the best poem in the English language. Hopkins has one, and only one, resemblance to Milton's Satan, which is that he can make intricate seem straight." Colin Burrow, Oxford University "This is the best introduction to Paradise Lost there is, suitable for the intelligent sixth-former or undergraduate, or the enquiring general reader outside the academy - or indeed anyone who cares about poetry. It is also a joy to read, indeed a real page-turner - and of how many academic books can one say that?" Charles Martindale, Bristol University Concise enough to be assimilated in a single session, this short volume maps the wonders of Milton's poetic landscape. The book offers an exploration of some of the main narrative and poetic elements of the epic poem - qualities which have compelled and fascinated readers for more than three centuries. The author, a celebrated authority on English poetry of the period, engages with (and attempts to counter) some of the critical arguments that impede readers' enjoyment of the poem. This volume emphasizes the aesthetic experience of reading Paradise Lost and brings out the pleasure to be derived from one of the great literary achievements of humanity.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
• Seitenzahl: 112
• Erscheinungstermin: 5. November 2012
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781118474426
• Artikelnr.: 37342674

Autorenporträt

David Hopkins is Emeritus Professor of English Literatureand Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, UK. Aspecialist on English poetry and literary criticism of theseventeenth and eighteenth centuries, he has written two books onJohn Dryden - John Dryden (1986) and Writers andtheir Work: John Dryden (2004). His latest work, Conversingwith Antiquity: English Poets and the Classics, from Shakespeare toPope (2010), reflects his interest in the enduring influence onEnglish poetry of the literature and culture of classicalantiquity. Professor Hopkins has also edited numerous volumes,including (with Paul Hammond) an annotated edition ofDryden's complete poems.

Inhaltsangabe

Preface vii 1 Paradise Lost : Poem or "Problem"? 1 2 God, Satan, and Adam 23 3 Eden 43 4 The Fall 63 Further Reading 85 Index to lines and passages from Paradise Lost 91 Index to main text and notes 93

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Preface vii

1 Paradise Lost: Poem or "Problem"? 1

2 God, Satan, and Adam 23

3 Eden 43

4 The Fall 63

Further Reading 85

Index to lines and passages from Paradise Lost 91

Index to main text and notes 9

Rezensionen

"Written in lucid, unpretentious prose, (Reading Paradise Lost) has ... the character of a first-rate lecture. It opens an uncluttered path into 'the distinctive imagined world' of Paradise Lost and is a guide to understanding it as a long narrative poem. There is a place for such a book in Milton studies, specifically for students coming to the poem for the first time, before they move on to the large handbooks. The championing of the early critics gives the book a distinctive edge and the original and persuasive ideas of the first chapter will be of particular interest to Milton scholars." (Milton Quarterly, May 2014)
"In true Miltonic style the content skilfully covers the well-known whilst encouraging the brave to question, deconstruct and think again." (The Use of English, 65.1 Autumn 2013)
"Any library supporting the teaching of English literature to freshmen and sophomores should acquire it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and general readers." (Choice, 1 August 2013)