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Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They LivedLong, William J. (William Joseph)

History

Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived

Name: Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived
Author: Long, William J. (William Joseph)

Long, William J. (William Joseph)

American literature -- History and criticism; English literature -- History and criticism

The third act shows Lucifer, now called Satan or the Adversary,
    with his infernal peers in Pandemonium, plotting the ruin of the
    world. He makes an astounding journey through Chaos, disguises
    himself in various forms of bird or beast in order to watch Adam
    and Eve, is detected by Ithuriel and the guardian angels, and is
    driven away. Thereupon he haunts vast space, hiding in the shadow
    of the earth until his chance comes, when he creeps back into Eden
    by means of an underground river. Disguising himself as a serpent,
    he meets Eve and tempts her with the fruit of a certain "tree of
    knowledge," which she has been forbidden to touch. She eats the
    fruit and shares it with Adam; then the pair are discovered in
    their disobedience, and are banished from Paradise. [Footnote: In
    the above outline we have arranged the events in the order in which
    they are supposed to have occurred. Milton tells the story in a
    somewhat confused way. The order of the twelve books of _Paradise
    Lost_ is not the natural or dramatic order of the story.]

[Sidenote: MILTON'S MATERIALS]

It is evident from this outline that Milton uses material from two
different sources, one an ancient legend which Cædmon employed in his
Paraphrase, the other the Bible narrative of Creation. Though the latter is
but a small part of the epic, it is as a fixed center about which all other
interests are supposed to revolve. In reading _Paradise Lost_,
therefore, with its vast scenes and colossal figures, one should keep in
mind that every detail was planned by Milton to be closely related to his
central theme, which is the fall of man.

In using such diverse materials Milton met with difficulties, some of which
(the character of Lucifer, for example) were too great for his limited
dramatic powers. In Books I and II Lucifer is a magnificent figure, the
proudest in all literature, a rebel with something of celestial grandeur
about him:

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived

Long, William J. (William Joseph)

American literature -- History and criticism; English literature -- History and criticism

The third act shows Lucifer, now called Satan or the Adversary,
    with his infernal peers in Pandemonium, plotting the ruin of the
    world. He makes an astounding journey through Chaos, disguises
    himself in various forms of bird or beast in order to watch Adam
    and Eve, is detected by Ithuriel and the guardian angels, and is
    driven away. Thereupon he haunts vast space, hiding in the shadow
    of the earth until his chance comes, when he creeps back into Eden
    by means of an underground river. Disguising himself as a serpent,
    he meets Eve and tempts her with the fruit of a certain "tree of
    knowledge," which she has been forbidden to touch. She eats the
    fruit and shares it with Adam; then the pair are discovered in
    their disobedience, and are banished from Paradise. [Footnote: In
    the above outline we have arranged the events in the order in which
    they are supposed to have occurred. Milton tells the story in a
    somewhat confused way. The order of the twelve books of _Paradise
    Lost_ is not the natural or dramatic order of the story.]

[Sidenote: MILTON'S MATERIALS]

It is evident from this outline that Milton uses material from two
different sources, one an ancient legend which Cædmon employed in his
Paraphrase, the other the Bible narrative of Creation. Though the latter is
but a small part of the epic, it is as a fixed center about which all other
interests are supposed to revolve. In reading _Paradise Lost_,
therefore, with its vast scenes and colossal figures, one should keep in
mind that every detail was planned by Milton to be closely related to his
central theme, which is the fall of man.

In using such diverse materials Milton met with difficulties, some of which
(the character of Lucifer, for example) were too great for his limited
dramatic powers. In Books I and II Lucifer is a magnificent figure, the
proudest in all literature, a rebel with something of celestial grandeur
about him:

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived

Outlines of English and American Literature: An Introduction to the Chief Writers of England and America, to the Books They Wrote, and to the Times in Which They Lived

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