Paradise Lost - Alchemizing shame into knowledge
John Milton charts the path to enlightenment
Welcome to By the Books, a newsletter dedicated to capturing and distributing wisdom from works of classic literature.
Each post will take less than 5 minutes to read, and will feature one great book, including:
A brief summary
A distillation of relevant themes
One actionable insight
Live by the best books, one day at a time.
“Paradise Lost” by John Milton
This 17th-century epic poem narrates the biblical story of Adam and Eve's temptation and fall from grace. It also portrays Satan's rebellion against God, his expulsion from Heaven, and his subsequent journey to the Garden of Eden. There, Satan tempts Eve with the forbidden fruit, leading to humanity's tragic downfall and expulsion from Paradise. The story explores the complexities of human nature, the power of free will, and the eternal battle between good and evil.
While Adam and Eve's disobedience leads to their being cast out of Paradise, the point is not the tragedy, but the redemption they find along the spiritual journey of enlightenment. Milton seems to suggest that true enlightenment is the product of continuing along the path of knowledge that kicked off “the fall” to begin with. And Satan is Satan because he starts off thinking he knows everything, and never changes.
"Into this wild abyss,
The womb of nature and perhaps her grave,
Of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire,
But all these in their pregnant causes mixed
Confusedly, and which thus must ever fight,
Unless the Almighty Maker them ordain
His dark materials to create more worlds."
Actionable Insight*
Every fall from grace is an opportunity to become more enlightened. Every mistake can become a stepping stone to transcendence…if only we are willing to learn.
Take a moment to think on a recent failure — perhaps something that sparks shame. Instead of feeling shame, consider what it was that led to the failure, and what you can learn from it.
What is one thing you can do today that will help you avoid repeating that mistake in the future?
*As a lover of literature, I must emphasize that the best way to truly absorb the wisdom of any work of literature is to actually read it, from start to finish, the way the author intended. I hope By the Books will occasionally inspire you to do just that.
Failure? Thought I outlawed that word. Either way, I have far too many to count. But almost all of them I'm grateful for.
Almost.