Milton Précis
1. Notes on Paradise Lost
2. Milton's "Periods of Work"
1. Notes on Paradise Lost
I. Technical
1. In this poem Milton's style is Latinate (i.e., Latin-derived). By choosing this style (his version now being called Miltonic English) the poet achieves a greater formality, solemnity, grandness, and originality than would have been otherwise possible with the standard English of his times. The striking qualities of Miltonic English had a strong impact on successive writers; thus Paradise Lost is a milestone in the development of the English language.
2. Furthermore, the Miltonic English of Paradise Lost is in blank verse; the poet's advancement of this form is considerable. Therefore, Milton is the third major developer (the first being Marlowe, the second Shakespeare) of blank verse. (Again, the principal forms and periods of English poetry: OE alliteration, Middle English French-influenced rhyme, Elizabethan blank verse, and modern free verse.)
II. Artistic
Milton's influence on English literature, indeed, on western culture in general, has been tremendous. This much is undoubted. The question of whether that influence has been positive or negative, however, has been the subject of much debate. Basically speaking, those of the neo-classical school, for example Dr. Johnson (1), have praised Milton highly, whereas the modernists, for example T.S. Eliot (2), have thought Milton wholly damaging.
In any event, we may recognize the following artistic points about Paradise Lost:
1) The Christian "creation and downfall" story is given vivid portrayal.
2) The humanistic interpretation of Satan, Adam, and Eve is noteworthy.
2. Milton's "Periods of Work"
Milton's writings are easily dividable into three periods: 1. Student Years, 2. Political Writings, and 3. Major Poetic Works. Below is an outline listing the key works for each phase.
Student Years 1629-39
Political Writings 1641-63
A great deal of work was produced during this time, mostly pamphlets, concerning religious, civil, and domestic liberties.
Major Poetic Works 1663-71
References
1. Johnson, Samuel The Lives of the English Poets , The Life
of Milton. 1779. (A classic in English literary criticism.)
2. Eliot, T.S. On Poetry and Poets, London, 1957, p. 156 -83.
Robert T. Tuohey