11. The Miltonic Smile

Milton (ENGL 220)

Milton's characteristic use of simile is explored in Books One and Two of Paradise Lost. Particular attention is paid to how Milton's similes work to support, undermine, and complicate both the depiction of Satan and the broader thematic concerns of the poem, such as the ideas of free will and divine providence. The critical perspectives of Geoffrey Hartman and Stanley Fish are incorporated into an analysis of Satan's shield and spear and the simile of the leaves.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction: Similes in "Paradise Lost"
03:36 - Chapter 2. Similes in "Paradise Lost": Satan's Shield Compared to the Moon
17:05 - Chapter 3. Similes in "Paradise Lost": Satan's Spear Compared to the Mast of a Ship
22:38 - Chapter 4. Similes in "Paradise Lost": Simile of the Leaves
34:18 - Chapter 5. Hartman and Fish: Theories of Similes in "Paradise Lost"
40:34 - Chapter 6. Similes in "Paradise Lost": Simile of the Belated Peasant

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2007.