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A Preface to Paradise Lost

A Preface to Paradise Lost

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  • Create Date：2022-04-06 15:21:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：C.S. Lewis
  • ISBN：0063222132
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Summary

C。 S。 Lewis's illuminating reflections on Milton's Paradise Lost， the seminal classic that profoundly influenced Christian thought as well as Lewis's own。

In Preface to Paradise Lost， the Christian apologist and revered scholar and professor of literature closely examines the style， content， structure， and themes of Milton's masterpiece， a retelling of the biblical story of the Fall of Humankind， Satan's temptation， and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden。 Considering the story within the context of the Western literary tradition， Lewis offers invaluable insights into Paradise Lost and the nature of literature itself， unveiling the poem's beauty and its wisdom。

Lewis explains and defends the literary form known as "Epic，" pondering simple yet perceptive questions such as: 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 Virgil's legacy？

With the clarity of thought and style that are the hallmarks of his writing， Lewis provides answers with a lucidity and lightness that deepens our understanding of this literary form and both illuminates Milton's immortal epic and its meaning 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。

One of Lewis's most revered scholarly works， Preface to Paradise Lost is indispensable for literature， philosophy， and religion scholars and for ardent fans of Lewis's writings。

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Reviews

Elizabeth ，

I really enjoyed Lewis’ thoughts on epic poetry at broad， and how he used familiar literary friends to build excitement for my first time through Paradise Lost。 I’m looking forward to getting started with these ideas in mind。 Also on trend my “want to read” list has grown a lot with this short work！

Jordan Callahan ，

Excellent introduction to the Epic which has been on my to-read list for some time。 Taken from his lectures at Oxford， Lewis helps the reader tap into the traditional work of both the form and text of the book without presupposing a modern interpretation which many scholars and enthusiasts have fallen into。 I feel more equipped to enter Paradise Lost with a proper lens and appreciation。

Autumn Eaves ，

Bought this almost exclusively for the essays focusing on specific character representations in Paradise Lost， and was not disappointed。

Lady Mayfair ，

Leave it to Lewis to draw a remarkable parallel between Jane Austen and Milton's Satan just to blow my mind as I went innocently into this essay thinking it's just about Paradise Lost。 Instead I got an erudite lecture of Platonic Theologians and Ficino （first translator of Plato's complete extant works into Latin）。 Top notch but 4/5 as he could have （as per usual） spared me some of his personal Christianity。 "To admire Satan， then， is to give one's vote not only for aworld of misery， but also fo Leave it to Lewis to draw a remarkable parallel between Jane Austen and Milton's Satan just to blow my mind as I went innocently into this essay thinking it's just about Paradise Lost。 Instead I got an erudite lecture of Platonic Theologians and Ficino （first translator of Plato's complete extant works into Latin）。 Top notch but 4/5 as he could have （as per usual） spared me some of his personal Christianity。 "To admire Satan， then， is to give one's vote not only for aworld of misery， but also for a world of lies and propaganda， ofwishful thinking， of incessant autobiography。 Yet the choice ispossible。 Hardly a day passes without some slight movementtowards it in each one of us。 That is what makes Paradise Lostso serious a poem。 The thing is possible， and the exposure of it is resented。 Where Paradise Lost is not loved， it is deeply hated。As Keats said more rightly than he knew， 'there is death' inMilton。 We have all skirted the Satanic island closely enoughto have motives for wishing to evade the full impact of thepoem。 For， I repeat， the thing is possible ; and after a certainpoint it is prized。 Sir Willoughby may be unhappy， but hewants to go on being Sir Willoughby。 Satan wants to go on beingSatan。 That is the real meaning of his choice 'Better to reignin Hell， than serve in Heaven。' "* * *"I had much rather know what I should feellike if I adopted the beliefs of Lucretius than how Lucretiuswould have felt if he had never entertained them。 The possibleLucretius in myself interests me more than the possible C。 S。Lewis in Lucretius。 There is in G。 K。 Chesterton's Avowals andDenials a wholly admirable essay called On Man : Heir of All theAges。 An heir is one who inherits and 'any man who is cut offfrom the past 。。。 is a man most unjustly disinherited'。 Toenjoy our full humanity we ought， so far as is possible， to contain within us potentially at all times， and on occasion toactualize， all the modes of feeling and thinking through whichman has passed。 You must， so far as in you lies， become anAchaean chief while reading Homer， a medieval knight whilereading Malory， and an eighteenth century Londoner whilereading Johnson。 Only thus will you be able to judge the work'in the same spirit that its author writ' and to avoid chimericalcriticism。For what would you not give to have a real， live Epicurean at yourelbow while reading Lucretius？" *** 。。。more

Brad ，

Considered a turning point in understanding Paradise Lost。 Written during WW2， it points out how literary critics of the poem （since the Romantics） missed the main point made by John Milton: to show the effects of The Fall of Mankind （Genesis 3） to the reader。 I found the chapters on Epic Poetry and the characters of Satan， Adam and Eve insightful。 Assumes familiarity with key epics （Odyssey， Iliad， Aeneid， Beowulf， Divine Comedy， and others）。

Benjamin Phillips ，

A great work on criticism in general and on Paradise Lost in particular。 Also contains great philosophy besides。

Kris ，

It's all the in-between bits and pieces， set around Lewis's analyzation of PL， that make this book worth reading。 Short and easy， though seeped in the lit critics of his day。Quotes:"For who can endure a doc­ trine which would allow only dentists to say whether our teeth were aching， only cobblers to say whether our shoes hurt us， and only governments to tell us whether we were being well governed？""The modern habit of doing ceremonial things unceremoniously is no proof of humility; rather it pro It's all the in-between bits and pieces， set around Lewis's analyzation of PL， that make this book worth reading。 Short and easy， though seeped in the lit critics of his day。Quotes:"For who can endure a doc­ trine which would allow only dentists to say whether our teeth were aching， only cobblers to say whether our shoes hurt us， and only governments to tell us whether we were being well governed？""The modern habit of doing ceremonial things unceremoniously is no proof of humility; rather it proves the offender's inability to forget himself in the rite， and his readi­ness to spoil for every one else the proper pleasure of ritual。"[on poetry] "The whole art consists not in evoking the unexpected， but in evoking with a perfection and accuracy beyond expectation the very image that has haunted us all our lives。""When our participation in a rite becomes perfect we think no more of ritual， but are engrossed by that about which the rite is performed; but afterwards we recognize that ritual was the sole method by which this concentration could be achieved。。。。 A schoolboy who reads a page of Milton by chance， for the first time， and then looks up and says， 'By gum！' not in the least knowing how the thing has worked， but only that new strength and width and brightness and zest have transformed his world， is nearer to the truth than they。""And Milton goes on to explain that God's withdrawal consists not in a spatial retrac­tion， but in 'not putting forth His goodness'; that is， there are parts of space over which God is not exercising His efficacy， though He is still， in some undefined mode， present in them。""In the religious life man faces God and God faces man。 But in the epic it is feigned， for the moment， that we， as readers， can step aside and see the faces both of God and man in profile。 We are not invited （as Alexander would have said） to enjoy the spiritual life， but to contemplate the whole pattern within which the spiritual life arises。 Making use of a distinction of Johnson's we might say that the subject of the poem 'is not piety， but the motives to piety'。""The moment you put it into words you falsify it。 It is like trying to see what a thing looks like when you are not looking at it。 You cannot make a true picture of that no-man's-land between the visible and the in­ visible which exists on the edges of our field of vision， because just in so far as you make a picture you are bringing it into the centre。 I do not say that it may not be fun to try。" 。。。more

Henley ，

Illuminating and engrossing literary criticism， as well as a discerning appreciation for epic poetry。 At times Lewis is opinionated， though as expected - after all， it’s his take on Paradise Lost， the last few chapters in particular。 He definitely has prompted myself to read Virgil’s Aeneid， and possibly Beowulf。 I would have read them earlier if it had not been their perplex language/style。 Alas， at least that’s my reductive impression when it comes to epics

Matthew Richey ，

Definitely recommended reading， as an intro to Paradise Lost or for its own sake。 The first half of the book I found difficult reading （but worthwhile）， but the second half was an absolute joy。

Andrew Fairweather ，

This is sort of like a key to 'Paradise Lost'—simple， easy to understand， it really does feel essential。 The first half was a little bit of a review for me （chapters on， say， epic and secondary epic， stuff like that） but when Lewis gets into the meat of the poem， he really shines。 Lewis' stress on the relationship of Milton's theology as expressed in PL with Saint Augstine's theology in 'City of God' was indispensable。 This is sort of like a key to 'Paradise Lost'—simple， easy to understand， it really does feel essential。 The first half was a little bit of a review for me （chapters on， say， epic and secondary epic， stuff like that） but when Lewis gets into the meat of the poem， he really shines。 Lewis' stress on the relationship of Milton's theology as expressed in PL with Saint Augstine's theology in 'City of God' was indispensable。 。。。more

Nate ，

Lewis deals with the development of epic poetry in the first half of the book， then treats some of the late medieval/early modern views of divinity and hierarchy in Milton toward the end。 Always a pleasure to read， Lewis nonetheless demands of his readers their fast attention and assumes they have a working knowledge of a thousand years of Western literature。 A small book that took me a bit of time to work through。

Tori Samar ，

"The first qualification for judging any piece of workmanship from a corkscrew to a cathedral is to know what it is—what it was intended to do and how it is meant to be used。"Consistently scholarly， never boring。 Yet another book chock full of Lewisian wisdom。 An excellent way to get your bearings before reading Paradise Lost。 Lewis will rescue you from reading Milton's masterpiece improperly， through a modern lens， and instead show you how to read it as Milton actually intended。 Along the way， "The first qualification for judging any piece of workmanship from a corkscrew to a cathedral is to know what it is—what it was intended to do and how it is meant to be used。"Consistently scholarly， never boring。 Yet another book chock full of Lewisian wisdom。 An excellent way to get your bearings before reading Paradise Lost。 Lewis will rescue you from reading Milton's masterpiece improperly， through a modern lens， and instead show you how to read it as Milton actually intended。 Along the way， you will learn much not only about Paradise Lost but also about epic poetry as a whole。 。。。more

Joshua ，

Full of insight & bears all the marks of the rest of Lewis’s work。 Really glad I read this before starting Paradise Lost。

Joy C。 ，

Yesterday I got to finish C。 S。 Lewis' 'A Preface to Paradise Lost' in the midst of all the deadlines。 It was such a wonderful enriching read and a beautiful dive into Lewis's masterful literary scholarship。Some of the things that struck me from his analysis is his lively writing style when talking about Milton or Homer or Virgil。 His literary scholarship is not dry and static but imaginative and loaded with a vision for literature that is broad and unique， and refreshingly down-to-earth。 Exampl Yesterday I got to finish C。 S。 Lewis' 'A Preface to Paradise Lost' in the midst of all the deadlines。 It was such a wonderful enriching read and a beautiful dive into Lewis's masterful literary scholarship。Some of the things that struck me from his analysis is his lively writing style when talking about Milton or Homer or Virgil。 His literary scholarship is not dry and static but imaginative and loaded with a vision for literature that is broad and unique， and refreshingly down-to-earth。 Examples of this jumped out to me in those passages:"[Milton] makes his epic a rite so that we may share it; the more ritual it becomes， the more we are elevated to the rank of participants。 Precisely because the poet appears not as a private person， but as a Hierophant or Choregus， we are summoned not to hear what one particular man thought and felt about the Fall， but to take part， under his leadership， in a great mimetic dance of all Christendom， ourselves soaring and ruining from Heaven， ourselves enacting Hell and Paradise， the Fall and the repentance。" - pg。 60， A Preface to Paradise Lost， C。S。 Lewis"The Hierarchical idea is not merely stuck on his poems at points where doctrine demands it: it is the indwelling life of the whole work， it foams or burgeons out of it at every moment。" - pg。 79"He pictures the life of beatitude as one of order—an intricate dance， so intricate that it seems irregular precisely when its regularity is most elaborate （v， 620）。 He pictures his whole universe as a universe of degrees， from root to stalk， from stalk to flower， from flower to breath， from fruit to human reason （v， 480）" - pg 79This idea of enacting Hell and Paradise， the Fall and the repentance reminds me of Lewis' own interests in his imaginative works， such as we see in Perelandra or in Narnia's Magician's Nephew with the Creation and Fall narratives。 I also found it really interesting how he applies his theory about readership - the idea that we are summoned to take part "in a great mimetic dance" ourselves in the story。 I highly recommend reading this work， not only to gain deeper insight into Milton （which you absolutely will！！）， but into Lewis as well。。。 。。。more

Drew Bohannon ，

In his Preface， CS Lewis doesn’t just take a stab at historical and modern criticism of Milton’s Paradise Lost， he runs it straight through。 The reader of this work cannot remain indifferent to one of English’s greatest epics， nor will he want to。 Simply enchanting。 CS Lewis handles the subject in his characteristic way: with warmth， humor， fervor， and a learning so sharp you can be dashed to pieces on it。 If you love Paradise Lost this work will only increase your admiration of the poem; if you In his Preface， CS Lewis doesn’t just take a stab at historical and modern criticism of Milton’s Paradise Lost， he runs it straight through。 The reader of this work cannot remain indifferent to one of English’s greatest epics， nor will he want to。 Simply enchanting。 CS Lewis handles the subject in his characteristic way: with warmth， humor， fervor， and a learning so sharp you can be dashed to pieces on it。 If you love Paradise Lost this work will only increase your admiration of the poem; if you’re interested in reading Paradise Lost this will only whet your appetite more。 。。。more

Neal Nordstrom ，

If you have read or plan to read Paradise Lost， this book is a great companion。 It gives a modern perspective on one of the great literary classics。

Rosie Gearhart ，

I adore Lewis， but this was a laborious slog （with some good points throughout）。 I’m sure the fault is mine， though。 I’m no literary scholar！ Just too big of a jump for me right now。

Fred Daly ，

This was very helpful。 It's taken from a series of lectures Lewis delivered in the early 1940s。 He makes sure you don't succumb to the fallacy of reading the poem through a modern lens， though it's still a little jarring to read his blithe assertions about proper gender relations。 He shows why Satan is not any kind of heroic figure， defends Milton against some criticism， but also points out where Milton's artistry lapses （mainly the last two books， which are pretty tedious and dopey）。 Lewis is v This was very helpful。 It's taken from a series of lectures Lewis delivered in the early 1940s。 He makes sure you don't succumb to the fallacy of reading the poem through a modern lens， though it's still a little jarring to read his blithe assertions about proper gender relations。 He shows why Satan is not any kind of heroic figure， defends Milton against some criticism， but also points out where Milton's artistry lapses （mainly the last two books， which are pretty tedious and dopey）。 Lewis is very much an old-school critic and scholar， and that's okay by me。 。。。more

Jon ，

Beautifully written introduction to the poem， trying to correct what Lewis considers the mistakes of critics since William Blake who （among many other misunderstandings） try to make Satan the hero。 Regarded as "still useful" despite being written in 1942。 I would say it's better than useful， giving much-needed descriptions of what Milton's contemporaries would have assumed to be true and clear explanations of his philosophy and theology。 My only complaint is that Lewis--probably justifiably--has Beautifully written introduction to the poem， trying to correct what Lewis considers the mistakes of critics since William Blake who （among many other misunderstandings） try to make Satan the hero。 Regarded as "still useful" despite being written in 1942。 I would say it's better than useful， giving much-needed descriptions of what Milton's contemporaries would have assumed to be true and clear explanations of his philosophy and theology。 My only complaint is that Lewis--probably justifiably--has a bit of a chip on his shoulder， writing explicitly as a Christian in the hostile， highbrow milieu of Oxford and Cambridge。 My wife remembers studying in England in the mid 1960's and having a friend join the group at the lunch table with "I met a little Christian today！" I'm sure Lewis had to deal with that sort of thing all the time。 。。。more

Justin Wiggins ，

This evening I finished reading C。S。Lewis's book of literary criticism A Preface To Paradise Lost， which he dedicated to his friend and fellow Inkling， Charles Williams。This fascinating book on John Milton's masterpiece Paradise Lost， which I have read some of， was challenging， engaging， funny in parts when he poked fun at T。S。Eliot， and deeply moving。 Lewis delves deeply into the literature and mythology that influenced Milton， as well as his personal theology。It must have been an incredible si This evening I finished reading C。S。Lewis's book of literary criticism A Preface To Paradise Lost， which he dedicated to his friend and fellow Inkling， Charles Williams。This fascinating book on John Milton's masterpiece Paradise Lost， which I have read some of， was challenging， engaging， funny in parts when he poked fun at T。S。Eliot， and deeply moving。 Lewis delves deeply into the literature and mythology that influenced Milton， as well as his personal theology。It must have been an incredible sight hearing Lewis lecture in person on literature， art， myth， theology， and language。To some degree， I had some sense of what that must have been like when I was in Oxford， England back in March of 2018。 Those ten days were some of the happiest days of my life。 。。。more

Rafael Salazar ，

I think Paradise Lost has become my favorite literary classic。 Lewis' work is not only brimming with insights about epic poetry and Milton's work， but shines with his personal passion for Milton's masterpiece。 The theological intricacies of PL outlined by Lewis are but a sincere delight for me to revel in。 Great introduction: made be desirous to re-read the classic。 I think Paradise Lost has become my favorite literary classic。 Lewis' work is not only brimming with insights about epic poetry and Milton's work， but shines with his personal passion for Milton's masterpiece。 The theological intricacies of PL outlined by Lewis are but a sincere delight for me to revel in。 Great introduction: made be desirous to re-read the classic。 。。。more

Gina Johnson ，

I found this quite interesting even if you don’t read Paradise Lost。He starts out talking about what the epic poem is and that we can’t appreciate Paradise lost without understanding it。 He tackles many arguments that people have against Paradise Lost as well as just addressing the history of the epic poem。 There’s also quite a bit of a theological talk that was very interesting。

Diana ，

i just completed reading Paradise Lost and this is an excellent summary of the wholebook。 C。 S。 Lewis touched on everything felt when reading Milton。 I highly recommend reading this after you finish P。L。

Eliza Sims ，

Wonderful analysis of Paradise Lost and guide to approaching literature。“to enjoy our full humanity we ought， as far as possible， to contain within us potentially all times， and on occasion to actualize， all the modes of feeling and thinking through which man has passed。 You must， in so far in you lies， become an Achaean chief while reading Homer， a medieval knight while reading Malory， and an Eighteenth-century Londoner while reading Johnson。 Only thus will you be able to judge the work “in the Wonderful analysis of Paradise Lost and guide to approaching literature。“to enjoy our full humanity we ought， as far as possible， to contain within us potentially all times， and on occasion to actualize， all the modes of feeling and thinking through which man has passed。 You must， in so far in you lies， become an Achaean chief while reading Homer， a medieval knight while reading Malory， and an Eighteenth-century Londoner while reading Johnson。 Only thus will you be able to judge the work “in the same spirit that its author writ” and avoid chimerical criticism。 。。。more

Bennett W。 ，

Excellent commentary on an epic work。

Frankie Grace ，

As usual， he's right about pretty much everything， but none of us want to listen。 As usual， he's right about pretty much everything， but none of us want to listen。 。。。more

Lancen Davis Harms ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 stellat undynes and angel featherz

Jenny ，

I haven't read Paradise Lost since my teens， and while I enjoyed it （and had a fabulous professor who did， I think， an excellent job of teaching it）， there was still so much I didn't truly understand。 Since picking up "real books" again， I've had a vague idea of revisiting the poem， but have felt rather intimidated by it。 Lewis's preface， which takes us back to first walk through the kinds of epic poetry， and then a few key issues in understanding the poem。 A must-read for anyone feeling hesitan I haven't read Paradise Lost since my teens， and while I enjoyed it （and had a fabulous professor who did， I think， an excellent job of teaching it）， there was still so much I didn't truly understand。 Since picking up "real books" again， I've had a vague idea of revisiting the poem， but have felt rather intimidated by it。 Lewis's preface， which takes us back to first walk through the kinds of epic poetry， and then a few key issues in understanding the poem。 A must-read for anyone feeling hesitant about approaching Milton。 。。。more

Austin Hoffman ，

Great。 Helped me appreciate the poem more in several ways:1。 Highlighted the nonsense and absurdity of Satan。 He lies nearly every time he speaks。 The reader should not treat him as a reliable narrator。 Everything he sees turns his thoughts back to himself。 2。 Adam was perfect in intellect。 Solomon in pure capacity was a decline from him。 3。 Milton's arianism isn't in this poem。 4。 Milton's other wacked ideas are in the poem。 5。 The nature of epic and Milton's choice of subject of necessity mini Great。 Helped me appreciate the poem more in several ways:1。 Highlighted the nonsense and absurdity of Satan。 He lies nearly every time he speaks。 The reader should not treat him as a reliable narrator。 Everything he sees turns his thoughts back to himself。 2。 Adam was perfect in intellect。 Solomon in pure capacity was a decline from him。 3。 Milton's arianism isn't in this poem。 4。 Milton's other wacked ideas are in the poem。 5。 The nature of epic and Milton's choice of subject of necessity minimize the role of the Holy Spirit。 6。 Eve's temptation and fall are essentially the first conception of murder。 Is she lives， she intends to keep divinity from Adam。 If she dies， she wishes him to share in death。 7。 Hell is locked from the inside。 The way out of misery is rage or bringing others to share in that misery。 Pride attempts to make hell into a substitute and parody of heaven。 Such a fall isn't actually a real tragedy， but blindness。 I'm not quite convinced that the last two chapters Milton are as out of place or bad as Lewis suggests。 I think the fact it is Michael and not Raphael again is significant。 The strategy and purpose of angelic instruction is different。 。。。more

Seth Mcdevitt ，

Truly excellent。 Worth reading as a stand alone book。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Preface to Paradise Lost

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Preface to Paradise Lost&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Preface to Paradise Lost&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0