Paradise Lost: Parallel Prose Edition [Paperback]

John Milton (Author), Dennis Danielson (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1573834262 | ISBN-13: 978-1573834261 | Publication Date: November 1, 2008

Paradise Lost has long been hailed as one of the most compelling stories of all time. Its cosmic canvas--heaven, hell, chaos, and the Garden of Eden--has enthralled thousands of readers for more than three centuries. For others, however, it has remained an unopened treasure because of the perceived difficulty of its archaic vocabulary and poetic structure. Dennis Danielson's new edition of Milton's great epic offers a vibrant, authoritative rendition in modern prose alongside the original text of Milton's story of heroism, pathos, beauty, and grace, making accessible for the first time a work that continues to be acclaimed as "possibly the most profound meditation on good and evil ever written" (Toronto Globe & Mail, 2000).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Dennis] Danielson...has fashioned a powerful pedagogical tool that is a gift to any teacher of Milton whatever the level of instruction." (Stanley Fish, The New York Times, 2008 ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

John Milton's epic story of cosmic rebellion and the beginning of human history has long been considered one of the greatest and most gripping narratives ever written in English. Yet its intensely poetic language, now-antiquated syntax and vocabulary, and dense allusions to mythical and Biblical figures make it inaccessible to many modern readers. This is, as the critic Harold Bloom wrote in 2000, "a great sorrow, and a true cultural loss." Dennis Danielson aims to open up Milton's epic for a twenty-first-century readership by providing a fluid, accessible rendition in contemporary prose alongside the original. The edition allows readers to experience the power of the original poem without barriers to understanding. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Regent College Publishing (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573834262
• ISBN-13: 978-1573834261
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stanley Fish Reviews This Book, December 29, 2008

By 

Steven Schafersman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paradise Lost: Parallel Prose Edition (Paperback)

I am going to buy this book. Stanley Fish, a university literature professor who writes the "Think Again" blog for the New York Times, reviewed this book on 2008 November 30. The title of his blog column is "'Paradise Lost' in Prose." Just go to the New York Times website and search for the column (I can't include the URL here).

Fish fairly and lucidly explains the reasons for writing a translation of "Paradise Lost" in English, and he favors having the original poem side-by-side with the prose translation. He explains that the translator, Dennis Danielson, has to repeatedly make choices between ambiguous and multiple meanings of words, which unavoidably loses much of the poem's power and the poet's intent, but having the original text in parallel view mitigates this problem. Fish concludes that the prose translation is just the thing for readers who don't have the time or energy to read "Paradise Lost" with full appreciation, which by the way is quite a task.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars IMPOSSIBLE, February 7, 2009

By 

Tyler Roach (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paradise Lost: Parallel Prose Edition (Paperback)

Danielson's meticulous translation may be a godsend for struggling students. Yet the work is touted not so much as a cheat sheet, but as a pleasing alternative for admirers of the difficult poem. Those who are seeking pleasure reading, however, may be disappointed. Danielson is clearly a good writer and handles the archaic style well, but in attempting two things simultaneously--both an accurate translation and a pleasing narrative--he takes on an impossible task. Constrained by the "parallel" adhesion to every line, any real creativity is prohibited. Milton's poetry makes traversing his convoluted maze worth the effort. But stripped of the poetry, the narrative bogs down under its own weight. Which is probably why I find the 1994 prose adaptation by Joseph Lanzara: Paradise Lost: The Novel, which takes extraordinary liberties with the original, a more satisfying literary experience than Danielson's restrictive version.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, September 1, 2009

By 

chris - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paradise Lost: Parallel Prose Edition (Paperback)

You're better off with John Milton's Paradise Lost In Plain English: A Simple, Line By Line Paraphrase Of The Complicated Masterpiece. (The title says it all.) Example: Wonder why there's no "Look Inside" feature here? If there was, on the first page you'd see how Parallel Prose translates Milton's reference to "the Shepherd on Oreb or Sinai" into "the shepherd on Horab or Sinai." Big help, huh? The Plain English version (which does allow a Look Inside) translates it as: "Moses" (in plain English). Paradise Lost is crammed with these kinds of perplexing allusions to people, places and events from the Bible, history, mythology and classical literature. You do the math.