Paradise Lost

The past few days have been boring, so I was just reading the Reader's Digest, Magazines, newspapers and what interests me most is reading the book Paradise Lost.

And so I checked google.
This is the book cover of the 2005 Hackett Edition, with illustrations from the 1688 edition. See Wikipedia.

First published in 1667, "Paradise Lost is considered to be the greatest epic poem in English literature. Written in twelve books, the blank verse poem tells the biblical story of Adam and Eve's fall from grace and subsequent expulsion from Paradise. In sublime poetry of extraordinary beauty, Milton creates a rich and complex Christian mythology that has inspired countless writers and artists. It continues to be required reading in high school and college literature courses and is a long-standing favorite with lovers of English poetry."

What we have at home is just a photocopy of these 12 books, which mom borrowed from their school, (aha!.. unauthorized publication huh, hehehe sshhh). Anyway, the book is incredible! There are so many lines and ideas in it that have echoed throughout Western culture.

And Milton's interpretation of the Bible is the one that has stuck in the popular imagination- Lucifer as the rebellious angel banished to Hell, who tempted Eve and the as vengeance against GodMessiah.. the war in Heaven... the concept of "true" love being without lust. It makes me shiver about every other page because I read a line that I've read or heard so many other places, or a concept comes across that I always took as Biblical truth that it turns out was mainly Milton's conception of the Biblical truth.

So my personal views about the book is.. Lucifer, for a variety of reasons, resembles many modern anti-heroes. And as a modern person, it's hard to sympathize with the all perfect angels, Jesus, and God in the book. They don't make mistakes, they don't question their creator, they don't want anything but what they've got. Satan wants to know more, or at least convinces other characters that they want to know more. What was it that Eve got in exchange for Paradise? Not riches, not beauty, not pleasure....but she got knowledge. How did Satan convince the other angels to rebel against God? He convinced them that they were, or might be, their own creators. that the story God had always told them might very well not be true. He is a questioner, a wonderer, an explorer.

I'm only halfway through, I'm still reading the poem. I'm sure I'll post more about this as i read on, but here are two of the lines that have been repeating in my head since I read them.

"Farewell happy fields, where Joy forever dwells- Hail, horrors, hail."
"Abashed, the Devil stood, and felt how awful goodness was."

P.S.
I'm still a believer of God, though.