Paradise Lost

Description: Written in the second half of the seventeenth century John Milton’s Paradise Lost is a monumental blank-verse epic. The poem concerns the biblical story of the fall of humanity including Satan’s rebellion in heaven, Adam and Eve’s temptation, and their expulsion from Eden. It ends in a hopeful way, with the promise of redemption. At its core, Paradise Lost wrestles with free will, disobedience, the problem of evil, and divine justice. In this seminar we treat Milton’s epic as a theological narrative: in Milton’s own view his vocation as a poet was to come alongside theology, offering a new lens and perspective. The course will follow that sweep of biblical history and doctrine, reading the poem, and unpacking its theological dimensions.

This graduate seminar meets for 10 sessions of three hours. Each class will open with one hour of aloud reading of the assigned book of Paradise Lost. This is followed by a discussion on text, in reader-response style, and a lecture and discussion of a central theological theme from the text. We will pay close attention to Milton’s interpretation of Scripture and his place in seventeenth-century Puritan/Reformation theology, while also considering literary and philosophical context and the impact of the book for readers today.

Prerequisites
TH500