TBD, but likely some weekday evening or Saturday afternoon. Use the contact links at the bottom or the top of this page to let us know ASAP if you have a preference!
Meeting venue:
Online (via Zoom) and in-person options are possible. Any in-person meetings will happen in Roanoke, Virginia.
Amount of reading:
One-half to one-third of a “book” each week. That will generally amount to eight to twelve pages -- a nice slow pace that will allow thoughtful discussion and make Milton’s sometimes complex verse accessible!
What it’s all about:
Milton’s epic is a gripping and regal tale of striving, ambition, destitution, humiliation, war, and, yes, love. It is also a major modern presentation of the Christian drama: the author’s life overlapped with those of Galileo and
Newton, and his thinking moves in patterns shaped by the associated
changes in the European worldview. So, in addition to being one of the
monuments of world literature in its own right, it provides a
fascinating study in contrasts for anyone who’s previously encountered
some poetry (Chaucer, Dante) or theology or philosophy from the ancient
and medieval worlds. Also, of course, it’s presented in some of the
most breathtaking English poetry ever written, which went on to shape
the way English poets wrote for centuries. The Romantics, in particular, couldn’t get away from Milton, whether they loved him outright or rebelled against him!
Prerequisites:
None.
Our texts:
A hard copy of Paradise Lost is required. Most editions will do. For those who do not yet own one, here are a few suggestions:
** The Norton Critical Edition edited by Gordon Teskey (Norton, 2005) contains a helpful glossary of names and an extensive sampling of critical commentary from across the centuries: John Dryden, William Blake, T. S. Eliot, C. S. Lewis, Northrop Frye, Stanley Fish are all well represented. Punctuation of the text is kept minimal, which has the virtue of leaving readers with some ambiguities that Milton may have intended, but can make figuring out the sense a bit more challenging than in more heavily punctuated editions. ** The inexpensive edition by Christopher Ricks has good light notes and more thorough punctuation; it makes a good viable option (the group’s convener made his first several passes through the poem here). The original Signet Classic edition (1968, with multiple reprints) is probably available used; its most recent version, still bearing the Signet Classics imprint on the cover, was released in 2010 by Penguin-Random House and features a new introduction by Susanne Woods. ** Also from Penguin-Random House comes a Modern Library publication (2008), edited by William Kerrigan, John Rumrich, and Stephen M. Fallon. Your convener has not seen this one, but the standards of Modern Library editions are generally quite high.
Commitment:
As with all our groups, you are welcome to come to as many, or as few, meetings as desired. Of course you’ll get more out of it the more often you come!