Satan's Poetry

Readers of "Paradise Lost" have long been struck by two prominent -- and seemingly unrelated -- aspects of the poem: its compelling depiction of Satan and its deep engagement with its literary (and specifically epic) tradition. Satans Poetry brings these two issues together to provide a bold, provocative, and fresh reading of the poem -- one that responds to the resurgent interest in Milton's Satan by examining the origins of conflict and ambiguity in Paradise Lost.