A Preface to Paradise Lost
α’αααΈααααα βα’αα‘α·α ααααΌαα·αααα
InΒ Preface to Paradise Lost, the Christian apologist andΒ revered scholar and professor of literatureΒ closely examines the style, content, structure, and themes ofΒ Miltonβs masterpiece, a retelling of the biblical story of the Fall of Humankind, Satanβs temptation, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Considering the storyΒ within the context of the Western literary tradition,Β LewisΒ offersΒ invaluable insights intoΒ Paradise LostΒ and the nature of literature itself, unveiling the poemβs beauty and its wisdom.
Lewis explains and defendsΒ the literary form known as βEpic,βΒ pondering simple yet perceptive questions such as:Β What is an Epic? Why, in the seventeenth century, did Milton choose to write his story in this style? In what sense is Paradise Lost similar to the Homeric poems or the Anglo Saxon Beowulf? In what sense did Milton develop Virgilβs legacy?Β
With the clarity of thought and styleΒ that are the hallmarks ofΒ hisΒ writing,Β Lewis provides answers with a lucidity and lightness thatΒ deepens our understanding of this literary form and bothΒ illuminatesΒ Miltonβs immortalΒ epic and its meaningΒ and inspires readers to revisit it. Ultimately, he reminds us why elements including ritual, splendor, and joy deserve to exist and hold a sacred place in human life.Β
One of Lewisβs mostΒ reveredΒ scholarly works, Preface to Paradise Lost is indispensable for literature, philosophy, and religion scholarsΒ and for ardent fansΒ of Lewisβs writings.Β
α’αααΈβα’ααααα·αααα
Clive Staples Lewis (1898β1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures.
