Milton: Paradise Lost (2^nd Ed.) Paradise Lost Longman Annotated English Poets Series

Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the great works of literature, of any time and in any language. Marked by Milton's characteristic erudition it is a work epic both in scale and, notoriously, in ambition. For nearly 350 years it has held generation upon generation of scholars, students and readers in rapt attention and its profound influence can be seen in almost every corner of Western culture. First published in 1968, with John Carey's Complete Shorter Poems, Alastair Fowler's Paradise Lost is widely acknowledged to be the most authoritative edition of this compelling work.
An unprecedented amount of detailed annotation accompanies the full text of the first (1667) edition, providing a wealth of contextual information to enrich and enhance the reader's experience. Notes on composition and context are combined with a clear explication of the multitude allusions Milton called to the poem's aid. The notes also summarise and illuminate the vast body of critical attention the poem has attracted, synthesizing the ancient and the modern to provide a comprehensive account both of the poem's development and its reception. Meanwhile, Alastair Fowler's invigorating introduction surveys the whole poem and looks in detail at such matters as Milton's theology, metrical structure and, most valuably, his complex and imaginary astronomy. The result is an enduring landmark in the field of Milton scholarship and an invaluable guide for readers of all levels.

From the Preface to the First Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
Abbreviations
Selected Journal of Abbreviations
Chronological Table of Milton's Life and Chief Publications INTRODUCTION
Composition
Printing History
Text
Punctuation Sources and Models
Language and Style
Metrical Structure
Numerical Composition
Time Scheme
Astronomy
Theology
Politics and Allegory
Criticism
Portraits and Illustrations PARADISE LOST
The Printer to the Reader
In Paradisum AmissanOn Paradise Lost
The Verse
Dryden's Epigram

Alastair Fowler is Regius Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, and was formerly Professor of English at the University of Virginia, USA.