A poet who crafted thegreatest character in literary history with his engaging anti-hero of Satan, John Milton connected personal experience with the breadth of cosmic epic. HisParadise Lost is a touchstone of English literature.

In the latest entry in Ig's celebrated Bookmarked series, author EdSimon considers Paradise Lost within the scope of his ownalcoholism and recovery, the collapse of higher education, the imbecility ofthe canon wars, the piquant joys of labyrinthine sentences, and the exquisiteattractions of Lucifer. Milton is easy to respect and easier to fear, but withthe guidance of Simon, Milton becomes easiest of all to love. Paradise Lost mayhave generated thousands of works of criticism over the centuries, but none ofthem are like this.