Is there a book more widely loved than Paradise Lost by an author more universally disliked than John Milton? Catholics dislike Milton for his anti-Catholicism, Anglicans dislike him for his nonconformity, monarchs dislike him for his republicanism, republicans dislike him for his religiosity, and feminists dislike him for his supposed misogyny. Samuel Johnson captured the sentiment of many in saying that Milton’s “predominant desire was to destroy.” But Paradise Lost? Johnson writes that it is, “A poem which, considered with respect to design, may claim the first place … among the productions of the human mind.”
In his “biography” of Paradise Lost, which is part of Princeton University Press’s excellent Lives of Great Religious Books series, Alan Jacobs traces Johnson’s and others’ responses to Milton
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!