Milton seems to be in my personal zeitgeist at the moment. I’ve just finished reading Olivia Laing's latest book 'The Garden Against Time'. The first chapter about paradise gardens contains her thoughts about re-reading Milton and she made me want to do so too. I've barely looked at him since A level although unlike all my contemporaries as a seventeen year old I loved him and the enormous craziness of his vision. Milton thought of himself as a conduit, hearing the verses in his head at night and dictating them to an amanuensis every morning. Anyone who has experienced true inspiration knows what that feels like. I’m thrilled too to see the Doré illustration. Earlier this year I was researching a man called George Lord Beeforth a former mayor of Scarborough, who made himself a fortune selling Doré prints to the Victorian middle classes. He was a fascinating and good man. Thanks for the reminder.
Ah. I love this so much! *Paradise Lost* is one of my favorite classics. (The scene with Eve looking at her reflection always makes me feel so many things.) I've always been a fan of the William Blake pieces but I had never seen the John Martins! Wow. I'm blown away. I also really love that 1951 piece at the end—it feels somewhere between a Dalí and a Leonora Carrington.
This is a great post because the pictures illustrate and beckon the reader to behold with what wisdom Milton saw or perceived or forcasted how our world would become, probably both before and after he became blind. He was a bit like Shakespeare patiently instructing us on the origins of modern wrong or technical mistakeness. The world of Milton explains how modern wrongness can place almost every nation and people in some precarious state or other that though new, enevitably seems like the eternal same as it ever was. People try to progress or evolve beyond the past to a better world. But somehow the past refuses to be ignored and at least how Milton describes it, seems very imaginatively surreal yet imaginatively precise in a flagrantly modern way. Temptation takes many forms. Temptation towards in terms of modern actions towards a technically perfect utopia seems by a subtle contaminatation of purpose through extreme good intentions insidiously causing things to go off track or awry. Always trying to reach Eden and always seemingly almost getting there before abruptly being thrown out by some or other philosophical miscalculation. Milton is brilliant at portraying how in modern times, almost anything can go out of whack as in the sentence, "The system seems to have clearly out of whack."
It is great that you remember Milton on his birthday and think of all the people who will now look at Milton because of your post. Evergreen is such a good nonpolarizing way to say both Hamlet and Milton bring the past into the future by their evergreen universal timelessness. You might enjoy a reimagining of Hamlet in near Srinigar, in India. It is an English subtitled Hindi film called "Haider," starring Shaheed Kapoor as Hamlet that I think streams on either Netflix or Zee5.
My apologies for my film suggestion as you might never have time to read if viewed all the film's based on Shakespeare's works. Haider is a favorite and so is the Russian film version of Lear which is very stark and modern.
Milton seems to be in my personal zeitgeist at the moment. I’ve just finished reading Olivia Laing's latest book 'The Garden Against Time'. The first chapter about paradise gardens contains her thoughts about re-reading Milton and she made me want to do so too. I've barely looked at him since A level although unlike all my contemporaries as a seventeen year old I loved him and the enormous craziness of his vision. Milton thought of himself as a conduit, hearing the verses in his head at night and dictating them to an amanuensis every morning. Anyone who has experienced true inspiration knows what that feels like. I’m thrilled too to see the Doré illustration. Earlier this year I was researching a man called George Lord Beeforth a former mayor of Scarborough, who made himself a fortune selling Doré prints to the Victorian middle classes. He was a fascinating and good man. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for these lovely thoughts Liz - I really appreciate it! And for introducing me to Beeforth, who sounds like a fascinating character.
Ah. I love this so much! *Paradise Lost* is one of my favorite classics. (The scene with Eve looking at her reflection always makes me feel so many things.) I've always been a fan of the William Blake pieces but I had never seen the John Martins! Wow. I'm blown away. I also really love that 1951 piece at the end—it feels somewhere between a Dalí and a Leonora Carrington.
Beautiful stuff! Thank you so much for this!
It's such a pleasure! Thanks for your lovely note. And that's a perfect description – Dalí crossed with Leonora Carrington – I completely agree!
This is a great post because the pictures illustrate and beckon the reader to behold with what wisdom Milton saw or perceived or forcasted how our world would become, probably both before and after he became blind. He was a bit like Shakespeare patiently instructing us on the origins of modern wrong or technical mistakeness. The world of Milton explains how modern wrongness can place almost every nation and people in some precarious state or other that though new, enevitably seems like the eternal same as it ever was. People try to progress or evolve beyond the past to a better world. But somehow the past refuses to be ignored and at least how Milton describes it, seems very imaginatively surreal yet imaginatively precise in a flagrantly modern way. Temptation takes many forms. Temptation towards in terms of modern actions towards a technically perfect utopia seems by a subtle contaminatation of purpose through extreme good intentions insidiously causing things to go off track or awry. Always trying to reach Eden and always seemingly almost getting there before abruptly being thrown out by some or other philosophical miscalculation. Milton is brilliant at portraying how in modern times, almost anything can go out of whack as in the sentence, "The system seems to have clearly out of whack."
Thanks so much Larry - what generous and thoughtful comments. I really appreciate it. I agree that Milton is evergreen in the same way as Shakespeare.
It is great that you remember Milton on his birthday and think of all the people who will now look at Milton because of your post. Evergreen is such a good nonpolarizing way to say both Hamlet and Milton bring the past into the future by their evergreen universal timelessness. You might enjoy a reimagining of Hamlet in near Srinigar, in India. It is an English subtitled Hindi film called "Haider," starring Shaheed Kapoor as Hamlet that I think streams on either Netflix or Zee5.
My apologies for my film suggestion as you might never have time to read if viewed all the film's based on Shakespeare's works. Haider is a favorite and so is the Russian film version of Lear which is very stark and modern.
Shakespeare and Milton I should have said.
Brilliant—thanks for putting this together. I admit to never ready no Paradise Lost but now am tempted—so many temptations.
A pleasure! It was a fun exercise. There were so many spectacular, cosmic images to choose from . . .