M.G. Bianco's Reviews > A Preface to Paradise Lost

C.S. Lewis writes what may be a very poorly titled book in A Preface to Paradise Lost.

Certainly, the last half of the book, or so, is a book about how to enjoy and understand John Milton's Paradise Lost. The first half of the book, however, is a book about epic poetry. Lewis makes some very poignant observations about epic poetry in general and about The Iliad, The Odyssey, Beowulf, and the Aeneid specifically, in addition to Paradise Lost.

His clear favorite, I'm sure, is Virgil's The Aeneid. He sees it as an improvement, or at least, an advancement of Homer's tales. He also sees flaws in Milton's Paradise Lost that he believes Virgil does not make. Any student or teacher interested in epic poetry in general or in any one or more of the epic poems named would do well to read Lewis's preface. Don't be deceived by the title.