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Lecture Literary criticism - Lecture 10: Samuel Johnson on paradise lost

A greater work calls for greater care. A poem, which considered with respect to design may claim the first place and with respect to performance may claim the second place among the productions of human mind. | SAMUEL JOHNSON ON PARADISE LOST A greater work calls for greater care. A poem,which considered with respect to design may claim the first place and with respect to performance may claim the second place among the productions of human mind. EPIC POETRY Writing an epic poem requires the assemblage of all the powers which are singly sufficient for other compositions. Epic poetry teaches the most important truths by the most pleasing precepts,and therefore relate some great truth in the most affecting manner. History,virtue vice,dramatic nature,discriminations of character,tendency of passion,illustrations and images. To put all these together an imagination capable of painting nature and realizing fiction is required. POET’S FIRST DUTY:CONVEY A MORAL The poet’s first duty is to find a moral which has fable will illustrate later on. This holds true for Milton.The morals of other poems is incidental and consequent;in Milton’s only it is essential and intrinsic. His purpose was most useful | SAMUEL JOHNSON ON PARADISE LOST A greater work calls for greater care. A poem,which considered with respect to design may claim the first place and with respect to performance may claim the second place among the productions of human mind. EPIC POETRY Writing an epic poem requires the assemblage of all the powers which are singly sufficient for other compositions. Epic poetry teaches the most important truths by the most pleasing precepts,and therefore relate some great truth in the most affecting manner. History,virtue vice,dramatic nature,discriminations of character,tendency of passion,illustrations and images. To put all these together an imagination capable of painting nature and realizing fiction is required. POET’S FIRST DUTY:CONVEY A MORAL The poet’s first duty is to find a moral which has fable will illustrate later on. This holds true for Milton.The morals of other poems is incidental and consequent;in Milton’s only it is essential and intrinsic. His purpose was most useful most arduous: -To vindicate the ways of God to man. -To show the reasonableness of religion. -Necessity of obedience to divine Law. FABLE TO CONVEY THE MORAL To convey the moral there must be a Fable which should be constructed so as to excite curiosity and surprise expectation. Milton has done very well in this regard. He has involved in his account of “Fall of the man” the events which preceeded it and the events that will follow it. He has woven the entire system of theology that every pair seems necessary. And we don't wish for any recital to be shorter for the sake of quickening the progress to main action. SUBJECT OF AN EPIC Subject of an epic has to be an event of fundamental importance and for Milton it was not the destruction of a city or the foundation of an empire. He focused on: -Fate of worlds. -Revolutions of heavens and earth. -Rebellion against the supreme king by the highest order of the beings. -The punishment of their crime. -The creation of a new race. -Its fall and