Could everyone post here if they're making the commitment to read and discuss these books? I'll add people to the master list of participants.
I thought May 13 (Sunday) would be a good time to begin the 'official' discussion of Paradise Lost, but I imagine we can share interesting things well before then if we all like. Anyone else have any suggestions on what they want to see or do in the discussions or readings?
I'm game!
Paradise Lost, May 13.
_EW_
Current reader list for Paradise Lost:
Bimmerman (after finals)
Ender
Jae
JediMaster12
Mr_BFA
Qliveur
Samuel
and I'm having a brain cramp on the rest of the folks from the other thread because I'm dog tired tonight. :) Post here, I'll add you to the list.
I'm in after finals; I have less than zero time until then(3 weeks).
I found Paradise Lost in my old english lit textbook, so I guess I will try to tear myself away from Pratchett for a bit.. :D
Sounds good. I'll make sure i pick up the book next time I am downtown.
Anyone having any trouble with Milton's language? It's archaic in some spots. However, it flows decently once you get used to reading it.
OOooooooooooooo, a book club eh...Once graduation is over I'm game to start in the festivities. So...I guess I'll miss out on this one.
No worries. If you get some free time in June feel free to join in on the Dante's Inferno discussion.
Some thoughts on Paradise Lost from the chatroom:
[815] Samuel Dravis (05/02 01:17:36 | UTC-5)
It's not that I have an incredible amount of trouble understanding what he's saying, it's just that he takes half the page to say one sentence...
[5] Jae Onasi (05/02 01:17:55 | UTC-5)
Yep, he does.
[815] Samuel Dravis (05/02 01:19:47 | UTC-5)
like several are embedded inside of it too. :p
pain in hell (like the wrath of the gods it burns their feet cruelly ( those feet are really something, they are so beautiful ( beautful like the angels cast down from heaven ( praise god for creating all things, even bad angels (I hope he's listening to this book)))))))))))
[815] Samuel Dravis (05/02 01:20:18 | UTC-5)
have to go back to the beginning to get what he's actually saying :D
Hehe.
BTW, I've found I've had to stop reading all the footnotes as I read along. Now I read a page at a time and then go back to the footnotes to make sure I've got the intent properly of some of the more obscure references/word definitions. Otherwise, I found I lost my place in the middle of a sentence and it made it way too choppy.
Some questions I've already thought of while reading Milton (and having read The Inferno about 20 years back).
Different and similar views/concepts of hell
Different views of Satan and what he can/can't do
How Dante's Catholicism and Milton's Protestantism affects their conception of Hell
How demons are conceptualized by both authors
Does Milton's English background and Dante's Italian background affect their conceptions of Hell?
Similarities in Hell in the 2 books
Who has Dante put in Hell and why? As my prof said, what better place than hell to put your enemies?
Whose imagery of Hell do you like better and why?
Whose imagery of Satan do you like better and why?
Feel free to add more questions of your own--I just tossed those out for people to think about as they read along.
OK, I had a brain cramp and forgot that May 13 was Mother's day. Can we move the opening for disucussion to the 15th? My kids want to spoil me today. :)