Channeling My Inner-English Student

Good evening, everyone!

So as some of you may know, one of my A Level subjects was English Literature. English has always been one of my favourite subjects, and while I would consider myself to be a reader I am more than content to read the same material over and over again. Seriously, the Harry Potter books probably make up 90% of the books I've read in my lifetime because I just frigging love them so much! 

Last semester I was determined to branch out a bit. I've always wanted to read more of the classics, and so I read 'Mansfield Park' by Jane Austen and started 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde (I never finished this though because we broke up and I had to return it). I was at a bit of a loose end when this semester started and I didn't have a book in my room, but my wonderful sister kindly got me a couple of book vouchers for Christmas so I ventured into town to pick something up.

Wanting something new to explore, I killed some time in Waterstones. The bus service to and from college means that I usually have about two and half hours to fill before I can go back to my halls of residence, so as you can imagine I am very familiar with what this particular branch of Waterstones has to offer. I honestly love that shop so much. If I could, I would live there ♥ Anyways, they have a hardback section which I adore. Even though we're always told not to judge a book by its cover, I am always more drawn to those with a pretty pattern, and the hardback books are gorgeous. It also helps that a lot of the hardback books are classics, so it makes them even more enticing.

In sixth form, one of the texts my class read was Book IX of 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton. This epic poem can be quite heavy going, as there are a lot of references to other works/mythology, much of which would have gone completely over my head if not for the notes at the bottom of every page. It was through analysing the text that I gradually came to love the book, and so when I noticed hardback containing all the books of 'Paradise Lost' I caved.

Look how pretty it is! How can you not want
to read this?

I've only just started reading, so I don't have masses to say about it right now. Not about the first book anyway, but I am so excited. Now that I'm out of the classroom environment, I expect it to take me a while. Poetry isn't something you can rush (maybe this is just me? Let me know what you think) so I'm perfectly okay with this book taking me most of this semester to read, as I do have academic texts to work through as well. From what I've read, my inner-English student is going to have so much to analysis and my goodness, I am going to nerd out so much over the techniques used.

John Milton was a religious man, and he did very much have an attitude that men were superior, although he did not believe he was a misogynist. In some ways he was revolutionary. He believed in divorce, which in the 1600s was a big no-no. I mean, this could very well have something to do with the fact that his wife deserted him so... you know. But he was all for people being able to divorce if they were incompatible in anyway, not just because of infidelity and whatnot. 'Paradise Lost', which follows and expands upon the events surrounding the Fall of Man, makes references to the pamphlets he wrote during his life, such as criticism of the Catholic Church (he later broke away from the Protestant Church as well, believing people should find their own way to God) as well as the relationship between man and woman, both in terms of marriage and their duties. 

One of the really interesting things about 'Paradise Lost' is Milton's portrayal of Satan, and it actually led to some controversy. Off the top of my head, but feel free to double check this, I believe William Blake made a comment about how Milton was secretly "of the devil's party", and he was not the only one to make such criticisms. In Book IX, the serpent is described quite beautifully, and compared to the Ancient Greek orators. He is portrayed as being clever and regal, and there is a passage that could definitely be seen as inspiring sympathy.

Whilst this was arguably far from Milton's intention, it certainly is intriguing for some critiques to highlight the fact that Milton may have achieved the opposite of his intention; instead of justifying God's action, he actually provided context which could remove some blame from Satan. It goes to show just how ambiguous the English language can be, especially when it comes to poetry. So much is open to interpretation, and it's honestly one of the reasons works of fiction are so great. The same book can be read by fifty different people, and every single one will have a slightly different understanding of the story. 

Okay, I'm going to end this post here, or you all are genuine risk of having to read an essay, something you definitely do not need on a Sunday night. All I can say is that if you are looking for a classic piece of literature to read and are up for a challenge, please do check out 'Paradise Lost'. You don't have to read all of the books - when we studied Book IX in school, no material from the other books was needed. Whether you go to a local library, but an ebook or be like me and buy a pretty book, I really would recommend it. If you do decide to give it a go, please let me know what you think! You can get in touch through social media in all the normal ways.

Until next time...

P.S. I promise to have some equine-related content up soon, and probably some food-related things up in the near future too!