Course OverviewIn Book I, Milton clarifies the purpose of his poem: to “justify the ways of God to men” (I.26). In this course, I will attempt a similarly heroic purpose: to justify the ways of Milton to adolescents. To do this, we will look deeply into one of the most significant works of literature ever composed--John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Milton’s retelling of the battle between God and Satan, and the subsequent fall of Adam and Eve, has, since its publication in 1667, profoundly impacted the world of literature and seeped into our collective understanding of humanity’s fall from grace.As should be evident by the title, this course will focus entirely on Milton’s poem. While additional readings will occur, they will be used primarily to elucidate the poem’s meaning and enhance our ability to approach a coherent and complex understanding of Paradise Lost. The majority of the work in this course will be mental, and often occur in the form of class discussions. However, you may also look forward to numerous short analytical assignments, as well as a final exam, modeled on the kind of exam you will commonly find in a college literature course.
Useful Links General Help Audio Recording http://paradiselostreading.wordpress.com/the-recordings/ Online Texts Full-text of Paradise Lost with hyperlinks (Dartmouth College’s "John Milton Reading Room") https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/text.shtml Visual Aids and Images Study Guides; Helpful Background and Context |