Paradise Lost is the greatest work of one of the most acclaimed poets in English literature. It has had a profound influence on Western culture, and has attracted a vast amount of critical commentary of every sort. First published in 1968, Alastair Fowler's annotated edition of Paradise Lost is acknowledged as the most authoritative guide to this major work, and to the critical analysis that it has prompted.
This important new edition maintains the detailed annotation that has for many years provided an interesting and comprehensive explanation to this difficult but compelling poem, making it accessible both to the student and the general reader. It is the only recent edition of Paradise Lost to be based on the text of the first (1667) edition, now widely accepted to be closer to Milton's intention than that of 1674.
The revised introduction describes the poem and its remarkable critical reception, surveying the nine thousand or so critical contributions devoted to it, not least during the last thirty years. Besides providing glosses and illustrations of sources and analogues, the notes refer to extra-literary contexts, religious, political and scientific, and aim in particular to explain Milton's imaginary astronomy more fully than any other edition has attempted. The notes also provide an unusual amount of critical commentary, in such a way as to engage with current thought about the poem. They assimilate or reject much criticism of Paradise Lost, giving guidance on the current issues, and what sorts of assumptions and interpretations need to be made by an informed reader.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Those familiar with the complexities and indecisions of Milton scholarship know how formidable a task it is to prepare an adequately annotated edition of the poems. Mr. Fowler has tackled this task with zest and discrimination as well as perseverance. For several years this work will be indespensible to both scholars and students. -- The Times Literary Supplement, London - On the First Edition
From the Back Cover
Longman Annotated English Poets
General Editor: John Barnard
Founding Editor: F. W. Bateson
Paradise Lost is the greatest work of one of the most acclaimed poets in English literature. It has had a profound influence on Western culture, and has attracted a vast amount of critical commentary of every sort. First published in 1968, Alastair Fowler¿s annotated edition of Paradise Lost is acknowledged as the most authoritative guide to this major work, and to the critical analysis that it has prompted.
This important new edition maintains the detailed annotation that has for many years provided an interesting and comprehensive explanation to this difficult but compelling poem, making it accessible both to the student and the general reader. It is the only recent edition of Paradise Lost to be based on the text of the first (1667) edition, now widely accepted to be closer to Milton's intention than that of 1674.
The revised introduction describes the poem and its remarkable critical reception, surveying the nine thousand or so critical contributions devoted to it, not least during the last thirty years. Besides providing glosses and illustrations of sources and analogues, the notes refer to extra-literary contexts, religious, political and scientific, and aim in particular to explain Milton's imaginary astronomy more fully than any other edition has attempted. The notes also provide an unusual amount of critical commentary, in such a way as to engage with current thought about the poem. They assimilate or reject much criticism of Paradise Lost, giving guidance on the current issues, and what sorts of assumptions and interpretations need to be made by an informed reader.
Alastair Fowler is Regius Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, and was formerly Professor of English at the University of Virginia, USA.
Reviews of previous edition:
This is a very Bible of a Milton, and the editors should be upheld forever as the supreme example to all future editors and annotators of English verse.
Selina Hastings, The Daily Telegraph
Those familiar with the complexities and indecisions of Milton scholarship know how formidable a task it is to prepare an adequately annotated edition of the poems. Mr Carey and Mr Fowler have tackled this task with zest and discrimination as well as perseverance. For several years to come their work will be indispensable to both scholars and students.
The Times Literary Supplement
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply beautiful!,
By
This review is from: Paradise Lost (Paperback)
_Paradise Lost_ will of course continue to be reproduced, but the content will essentially remain the same. The question is which of the countless number of editions to purchase. Fowler's editing and copious yet useful annotations are first rate for any single edition of PL. Though most publishers treat epic poetry as though it were pulp-fiction, Longman dignifies this volume in binding better than most hardcovers, for they have sewn its acid-free leaves in signatures. It is simply beautiful, and it is simply the best edition if one wants to study Milton's epic carefully.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably the best version . . . if you really need it,
This review is from: Milton: Paradise Lost (re-issue) (2nd Edition) (Paperback)
I am writing this because the five other reviews are about Paradise Lost, not about Alistair Fowler's edition of Paradise Lost. If you just want to read Paradise Lost, you do not need to pay $45.00 to do so. Most modern editions will have enough notes to get you through, and you can easily find inexpensive copies of such editions.
This one is quite a bit more thorough than that, and it is worth the money if you are someone who spends a lot of time in the notes. It's also very well bound, by the way -- the book is designed to take a lot of abuse. It's a big, fat, heavy tome, and the notes often take up more space on the page than the poem does. An excellent resource for Milton fans -- probably a must-have for Milton fans -- but not the sort of thing most readers really need.
21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece for the ages.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Paradise Lost (Paperback)
To be honest, I have never a big fan of poetry, but John Milton's epic changed that. I only decided to read this book after religion(and anti-religion) discussions started to heat up in my school. When I read Paradise Lost, I quickly stopped thinking of it as a poem, but as an epic of astronomical proportions that identifies many truths about humanity. The reading can be rather difficult at times, but with Alastair Fowler's wonderful annotations, it is possible for readers of any level to comprehend and enjoy Paradise Lost.Milton's sympathetic view of Lucifer in his rebellion against heaven is very insightful and compelling. I loved this poem, but I would only recommend it to readers of a slightly older age, as you have to be able to understand his blank verse writing to fully enjoy this epic.
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