TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: December 9

John Milton (1608–1674), author of Paradise Lost

Born on this day in 1608, John Milton stands as one of the towering figures of English literature. He is best known for Paradise Lost (first published in 1667), a work widely regarded as the greatest epic poem in the English language. Together with Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes, Milton secured a reputation not only as a poet of immense intellectual ambition, but as a writer deeply engaged with questions of power, liberty, faith, and moral responsibility.

Paradise Lost retells the Biblical story of the Fall—how Satan tempts Adam and Eve and brings about their expulsion from Eden. Written in unrhymed iambic pentameter, the poem reshaped English poetic tradition and gave Satan a psychological depth that has fascinated readers for centuries. Its themes of rebellion, obedience, free will, and redemption continue to resonate far beyond theology.

Milton’s influence extended well beyond poetry. In his prose works, he argued passionately for freedom of conscience, freedom of the press, and the abolition of the Church of England. His political writings emerged from, and helped shape, the ideological currents of the English Civil Wars, and later influenced thinkers involved in the American and French revolutions.

Fun Fact: Milton was blind when he composed Paradise Lost. He dictated the poem entirely from memory—often reciting long passages to assistants before dawn.

Did You Know? Milton coined the word “pandemonium” as the capital of Hell—and is also credited with introducing words such as enjoyable, satanic, and dismissive into English usage.
 

“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.”
— John Milton, Paradise Lost

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