Paradise Lost: And Its CriticsProfessor Waldock rejects the common critical urge, at the time of this book's publication in 1961, to assert that certain parts of Paradise Lost conflict with Milton's stated aim. Instead he argues that, because Milton recounts the difficult first chapters of Genesis at such length and in such imaginative detail, he disconcerts his readers. Milton's poetic power gives Adam and Eve at the moment of the Fall such human attractiveness that it is impossible to condemn them. The magnificent figure of Satan is consistently more appealing than Milton's God; and by a fatal lack of literary tact God is presented directly and quoted at length. This leads Milton into absurd literalisms and sometimes into evasiveness and self-contradiction and produces a conflict between what Milton meant to do and what the poem actually does. Professor Waldock's witty critical arguments appeal to the reader's direct and unprompted response to the poetry. |
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... the Technique of Degradation 65 V. God and the Angels — and Dante 97 VI . ' Unconscious Meanings ' in Paradise Lost 119 VII . Conclusion INDEX OF WRITERS 139 149 PREFACE ONE of the notable events of contemporary criticism has.
... the Technique of Degradation 65 V. God and the Angels — and Dante 97 VI . ' Unconscious Meanings ' in Paradise Lost 119 VII . Conclusion INDEX OF WRITERS 139 149 PREFACE ONE of the notable events of contemporary criticism has.
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Abdiel Adam and Eve Adam's angels become begin Belial blessedness C. S. Lewis character conscious course Dante Dante's difficult disobedience Divine Divine Comedy doubt Dr Tillyard effect Empson English Studies epic epic simile Eve's fact fall of Adam feel gives God's Greenlaw Grierson happens Heaven Hell Herbert Grierson human Ibid imagine impressions Inferno injured merit intention interesting kind King Lear least less Lewis Lewis's lines look matter merely Milton criticism Milton meant Milton's mind Miss Bodkin narrative nature never obvious once Paradise Lost passage passion Paul Elmer perhaps phrase poem poet possible prelapsarian pride principle problems Professor Sewell question Raleigh Raphael readers real theme reason rebels Satan Saurat scene seems sense soliloquy speech story suggest surely technique tells temperance thee theory thing Thir thou thought true truth unconscious meanings uxoriousness whole word writing