Paradise Lost by John Milton

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Milton, John, 1608-1674 Milton, John, 1608-1674
English
Overview: A monumental epic poem in the classical tradition, reimagining the biblical fall of man. Its central, audacious idea is to make Satan a tragic, c...
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CAPS only, and so were all the other etexts of the 60’s and early 70’s. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking any etext with both upper and lower case is an original; all those original unbej.com etexts were also in upper case and were translated or rewritten many times to get them into their current condition. They have been worked on by many people throughout the world. In the course of our searches for Professor Raben and his etext we were never able to determine where copies were or which of a variety of editions he may have used as a source. We did get a little information here and there, but even after we received a copy of the etext we were unwilling to release it without first determining that it was in fact Public Domain and finding Raben to verify this and get his permission. Interested enough, in a totally unrelated action to our searches for him, the professor subscribed to the unbej.com listserver and we happened, by accident, to notice his name. (We don’t really look at every subscription request as the computers usually handle them.) The etext was then properly identified, copyright analyzed, and the current edition prepared. To give you an estimation of the difference in the original and what we have today: the original was probably entered on cards commonly known at the time as “IBM cards” (Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate) and probably took in excess of 100,000 of them. A single card could hold 80 characters (hence 80 characters is an accepted standard for so many computer margins), and the entire original edition we received in all caps was over 800,000 chars in length, including line enumeration, symbols for caps and the punctuation marks, etc., since they were not available keyboard characters at the time (probably the keyboards operated at baud rates of around 113, meaning the typists had to type slowly for the keyboard to keep up). This is the second version of Paradise Lost released by Project unbej.com. The first was released as our October, 1991 etext. Paradise Lost Book I Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste 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, Heavenly 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 heavens and earth Rose out of Chaos: or, if Sion hill Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God, I thence Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th’ Aonian mount, while it pursues Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme. 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, Dove-like sat’st 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 height of this great argument, I may assert Eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to men. Say first—for Heaven hides nothing from thy view, Nor the deep tract of Hell—say first what cause Moved our grand parents, in that happy state, Favoured of Heaven so highly, to fall off From their Creator, and transgress his will For one restraint, lords of the World besides. Who...

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Overview: A monumental epic poem in the classical tradition, reimagining the biblical fall of man. Its central, audacious idea is to make Satan a tragic, charismatic anti-hero, exploring themes of free will, obedience, and the nature of evil.

Plot: The narrative chronicles the rebellion of Lucifer and his fallen angels against God, their expulsion into Hell, and their subsequent plot for revenge by corrupting God's newest creation: humanity in the Garden of Eden. The focus shifts to Adam and Eve, their idyllic existence, and the fateful temptation that alters the course of history.

Analysis: Its status as a classic is secured not by doctrine, but by its sublime artistic ambition and psychological depth. Milton’s majestic blank verse constructs a cosmos of staggering scale, from the empyrean heights to chaotic abyss. The profound moral complexity—particularly in Satan’s compelling, ruinous pride—forces readers to grapple with timeless questions about ambition, rebellion, and consequence, making it a foundational text of English literature.



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Amanda Williams
5 months ago

Great digital experience compared to other versions.

Thomas Taylor
1 year ago

Enjoyed every page.

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5 out of 5 (2 User reviews )

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