Seminar Milton's Paradise Lost Masterseminar Mo 14.30h

Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ stands on a cornerstone in the history of English literature. The central story is based around the fall of Adam and Eve as described at the beginning of Genesis and pays particular attention to the role of Satan in the downfall of humanity. Indeed, Milton’s stated aim towards the beginning of Book I is to ‘justify the ways of God to men’. In addition to the Bible, Milton draws heavily on Classical literature and mythology in this work. Milton’s wide frame of reference is reflected in the amount of influence that this poem had on later writers from William Blake to Phillip Pullman. Thus, ‘Paradise Lost’ is a rich, complex, long work which needs time to read and still further time to understand. The aim of this seminar is to read all twelve books over the course of the semester. Taking one book per week as a focal point, this seminar will approach this poem from a range of different angles, for example: poetics, theology, ecclesiology and contemporary religious debates, classical influence and how this poem has influenced later works. This is undoubtedly an ambitious project and this seminar recognises this by acquainting students with the necessary tools and providing them with the means to use them. Milton, John: Paradise Lost (Norton Edition) Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik Universität Düsseldorf WiSe 2015/16 Long Katie