A Preface to Paradise Lost (1942 original; edició 1961)

The first half is about the technicality of the writing. But it is the second half that blows you away where he examines Milton's religious statements. It's almost flawless and I love it. ( )

First issue of paperback edition. ( )

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2970090.html

C.S. Lewis had a good year in 1942; he was a regular broadcaster on the BBC, he was working on Perelandra, and he also published The Screwtape Letters (which are certainly on my Best Novel Best Novella ballot). A Preface to Paradise Lost is 150 pages of detailed analysis of the epic poem, the first half looking at the epic style in itself, and the second half looking at Milton’s ideas of Christianity. I’m more familiar with the other epics, and found the first half tremendously rewarding reading, though Lewis’s feud with T.S. Eliot is a little wearying. A very interesting examination of what epic poets are trying to do.

However, I think Lewis himself clearly does not regard the book as related to the field of science fiction, fantasy, or fandom. He comments that Dante (who he otherwise doesn’t discuss much) can be seen as in the same tradition as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, but clearly separates them from Homer, Virgil, the author of Beowulf and Milton as doing very different things. I doubt that the hypothetical voters of the non-existent 1943 Worldcon would have put this on their final ballot, and more important, I doubt that Lewis would have accepted nomination if offered the choice. (Unlike The Screwtape Letters, which clearly has some sfnal roots.) ( )

In this preface, Lewis first outlines what an epic poem is and what Milton was trying to do with Paradise Lost. Then he discusses his views on how Milton's theology played a role in this epic. Lewis debunks the view that Milton had compassion for Satan. It was a good introduction, which I read before the poem because I thought it might help me comprehend the poem while I'm reading it. It was helpful, though it managed to make me more skeptical that I'll comprehend Paradise Lost. ( )

This delightful piece of criticism is a reminder of not just why Paradise Lost is one of the great works of literature, but why C. S. Lewis was one of the great literary critics. Lewis surveys the whole sweep of epic poetry from Homer onwards in the introductory chapters which lay the groundwork for his discussion of Milton's work itself. Having established what Milton was trying to achieve in his poem, Lewis concisely addresses some of the main areas of controversy that have arisen from criticism of the work through the centuries. For the most part these deal with Milton's theology and his supposed heterodoxy - Lewis is clear to distinguish between ideas that Milton held and those he actually propounded in Paradise Lost. There are also brief discussions of angels, Adam and Eve, prelapsarian sex and the wisdom of Milton's attempting to portray it, and the fall itself. ( )