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Paradise Lost In Plain and Simple English
John Milton put a twist on the story of Adam and Eve--in the process he created what some have called one of the greatest literary works in the English Language. It has inspired music, art, film, and even video games. But it's hundreds of years old and reading it today sometimes is a little tough. BookCaps is here to help! BookCaps puts a fresh spin on Milton’s classic by using language modern readers won't struggle to make sense of. We all need refreshers every now and then. Whether you are a student trying to cram for that big final, or someone just trying to understand a book more, BookCaps™ can help. We are a small, but growing company, and are adding titles every month.
526 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 13, 2020
5 stars for Milton, zero stars for this edition by BookCaps. The poor spelling, grammar and punctuation by a would-be publisher is unforgivable.
This was a gift from my son who insisted I read Milton. Thank you sweetie!
This was a gift from my son who insisted I read Milton. Thank you sweetie!
January 29, 2019
This is a bad translation.
The contemporary English in this edition is not inspiring at all. This edition does have the original English side-by-side, so while that is difficult for me to read, I could at least glean a fraction of the majesty and flow that was originally intended.
The difficulty I have, even with the time I spent with the original English, is that this is not a good story. I feel like I should have appreciated this epic poem to the same degree that I did the Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid and others. I don't. The characters are painfully thin in comparison to those other texts. The Satan character does have more depth than the other characters, but even his depiction wasn't well done.
So the characters are thin, this translation is bad, and the core of the story is essentially simply a retelling of stories in the Pentateuch. Moses did a better job of that then Milton did.
The contemporary English in this edition is not inspiring at all. This edition does have the original English side-by-side, so while that is difficult for me to read, I could at least glean a fraction of the majesty and flow that was originally intended.
The difficulty I have, even with the time I spent with the original English, is that this is not a good story. I feel like I should have appreciated this epic poem to the same degree that I did the Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid and others. I don't. The characters are painfully thin in comparison to those other texts. The Satan character does have more depth than the other characters, but even his depiction wasn't well done.
So the characters are thin, this translation is bad, and the core of the story is essentially simply a retelling of stories in the Pentateuch. Moses did a better job of that then Milton did.
August 23, 2019
It Took Awhile to Finish, But the Modern English Version Helped Bring Out The. Story
I actually read 40% of the story using the original version and thankfully was able to make some sense of the story. But like reading Gilgamesh and Pilgrims Progress, the Modern English helped capture the author's intended message. I actually started at the beginning again.
My only warning is to be careful about building any orthodox Christian theology from this book alone. A lot of assumptions and speculations went into developing Milton's tale.
I actually read 40% of the story using the original version and thankfully was able to make some sense of the story. But like reading Gilgamesh and Pilgrims Progress, the Modern English helped capture the author's intended message. I actually started at the beginning again.
My only warning is to be careful about building any orthodox Christian theology from this book alone. A lot of assumptions and speculations went into developing Milton's tale.
August 23, 2020
For those who have read Divine Comedy, this is a must. My only gripe with it was that it was one long poem, as in there were no logical breaks in which I could put it down and come back to. As you would with chapters in novels.
That might seem petty. You might say, "well, of course. It's a poem!" And I know that! But consider that if this is my only gripe, then doesn't this say how good it is.
Ok, maybe one more issue. It did get a bit slow in places. The pace really drops at times. But it is certainly a 4 star read.
That might seem petty. You might say, "well, of course. It's a poem!" And I know that! But consider that if this is my only gripe, then doesn't this say how good it is.
Ok, maybe one more issue. It did get a bit slow in places. The pace really drops at times. But it is certainly a 4 star read.
September 18, 2022
I read the comparative version, so I had the pleasure of reading John Milton's original and the modern translation. I found as I got deeper into the Books, I could decifer the prose much better, though atill needed the English version for a more comprehensive understanding. A very powerful rendering of original sin and consequences. Though I radiate more towards an Eastern philosophical veiwpoint. The message is clear. Live right and true, and try to stay away from f%$k-ups. Peace and metta, folks.
December 20, 2020
It is a pleasure to read Paradise Lost translated into modern English, rather than struggling to decode Milton’s 1667 text sentence-by-sentence. High School English teachers should use the modern English version.
February 27, 2024
This was interesting to read in a modern translation but it does not compare to the original beauty of Milton’s writing in verse.
I read the modern only after reading and listening to the original.
I read the modern only after reading and listening to the original.
October 7, 2016
An epic masterpiece
This is my first reading; I must read it again with a commentary: the biblical material is not a problem, but I did not expect so many classical allusions. Milton on occasions is pure lyricism, but can also be somewhat turgid. His theology is not so Puritanical as I expected; but this is another matter for further study. The modern translation is competent and often illuminating, but who wrote it? This epic was not easy reading, but relayed the effort.
This is my first reading; I must read it again with a commentary: the biblical material is not a problem, but I did not expect so many classical allusions. Milton on occasions is pure lyricism, but can also be somewhat turgid. His theology is not so Puritanical as I expected; but this is another matter for further study. The modern translation is competent and often illuminating, but who wrote it? This epic was not easy reading, but relayed the effort.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews