John Milton's Paradise Lost in Plain English
by John Milton
Published: March 10, 2009
Genres: Epic Poetry
Format: Paperback (448 pages)
Source: Purchased
Here it is Every professor's nightmare Every student's dream come true John Milton's overwhelming masterpiece, Paradise Lost - all 10,565 brain-busting lines of it, transformed into simple, everyday language - the kind you and I speak and understand. Milton's poem is on each left hand page, and the Plain English version is across from it on the right. Corresponding numbered lines make for easy comparison. . . Milton made easy A study aid like no other.
In short, Paradise Lost in Plain English was a great way to understand the plot of Paradise Lost, but “translating” it into modern English loses some of the awesome double meanings that Milton put into his poem. I would read this book after I had read the original version to make sure I was understanding everything that was going on, but it’s definitely not a replacement for reading the real thing. After about half-way through I finally started getting used to the language and used this book less. I found myself skimming the last half just to make sure I wasn’t way off course with what was going on. This book helped give me the confidence that I could make it through the dense poetry. I’m glad I got it and finally made it through Paradise Lost!
Content Rating: None.
Aylee says
Yes, I used to use these guides while reading more challenging fiction as well. NOT as a replacement, as you say, but as an aid.