Paradise Regained

Milton, John, 1608-1674Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 93K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Paradise Regained by John MiltonAuthor: Milton, John, 1608-1674,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 1, 1993

Editor's review

Paradise Regained is John Milton's blank-verse epic in English, written after Paradise Lost and drawn from the New Testament account of Jesus tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Shorter than Paradise Lost and tightly structured, it balances theological reflection with dramatic tension: Satan tempts with power, wealth, learning, and glory in turn, and Jesus answers each with scripture, demonstrating steadfast inner faith. For readers of Paradise Lost, this poem completes the spiritual arc from loss to recovery and clarifies the full shape of Milton's late thought. Its language preserves the gravity of seventeenth-century English, with austere verse and dense allusion; it rewards slow reading in quiet surroundings and serves well as a primary text in courses on English literary history, Puritan literature, and Christian theology.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers who have read Paradise Lost and want to complete the arc of Milton's two epics
Undergraduates and graduate students studying seventeenth-century English literature and Puritan thought
Students of religion or theology who need the English original for close textual reading
Poetry lovers drawn to verse debate and the theme of temptation

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking popular storytelling or light entertainment
Beginners with limited English reading experience who are not yet at home in seventeenth-century English syntax
Readers entirely unfamiliar with the Christian biblical background who do not wish to consult notes

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with the wilderness temptation passages in the Gospel of Luke before reading the text to reduce background obstacles.
Choose an annotated edition and look up allusions as you go; do not feel obliged to read it straight through in one sitting.
Read Satan's three temptations alongside Jesus's replies in sections to trace the layers of argument.
After finishing, compare it with Paradise Lost to appreciate Milton's linked thematic design.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

How does this book relate to Paradise Lost?

The two are often treated as companion works: Paradise Lost concerns humanity's loss of paradise through temptation, while Paradise Regained shows Jesus resisting Satan's temptations in the wilderness and answering temptation with steadfastness, creating a contrast between loss and recovery. Reading them in order and then comparing is recommended.

Is the English original difficult, and what background is needed?

This is seventeenth-century English blank verse with complex syntax and many allusions, unlike modern English. University-level English reading ability is advised, and an edition with notes and an introduction should be chosen; on a first reading, a Chinese translation can help you grasp the plot.

What is the book mainly about?

The core plot is Jesus, after fasting in the wilderness, facing a series of temptations from Satan involving food, power, wealth, learning, and glory; Jesus answers with scripture and defeats each in turn. The poem advances through dialogue and debate with few action scenes, so attention should be paid to the verbal exchanges.

Should I read a translation first or go straight to the English original?

If your main goal is understanding the content, read a reliable Chinese translation first to grasp the structure and arguments; if you are doing research or textual analysis, rely chiefly on the English original and use translations only as support for comparing specific wording and syntax.

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About the author

Milton, John, 1608-1674 Author

John Milton (1608–1674) is a major poet and polemical writer in English literary history. Nine of his works are held here, including the long poems Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, the masque Comus, the elegy Lycidas, the shorter poems L'Allegro and Il Penseroso, the prose tract Areopagitica on freedom of the press, and the collections The Poetical Works of John Milton and Milton: Minor Poems. Learned in both classical and Christian traditions, he is known for grand religious themes, stately blank verse and an eloquent style. Paradise Lost, drawing on the biblical creation story, explores free will, obedience and fall, and has deeply influenced later English poetry; Areopagitica offers a classic argument for freedom of speech and publication. Comus and Lycidas display his early gifts in masque and elegy, while the shorter poems show his versatility. Public information on his life dates and nationality is limited and is not speculated upon here.