Staggeringly brilliant essay, Adrian, with some very funny asides in it as well. Alistair Fowler’s edition of Milton’s PL has a running commentary throughout that’s quite erudite. His analysis of the argument between Eve and the Serpent is enlightening. In the poem, their dialogue devolves into a Scholastic debate between the two and I feel like the Tempter won. (Wonder if that was Milton’s intent.) One of things I didn’t know was that some medieval scholars believed that the Serpent was created four-legged, like the beasts of the field; and that it was only after the curse that he was forced to crawl on his belly as a snake. That passage in PL also has a word formation that makes me wince to this day: “into the plant sciential sap, derived.” Even Homer nods. 😂
Thanks so much, Daniel. Yes, I'm inclined to accept Harold Bloom's analysis that Milton was a little too enamoured with Old Scratch for his own good. And yes, I like the Crocodileagle idea which I explore here: https://scriptourer.substack.com/p/serpentspeak - makes best sense of 3:14 methinks. And also yes, that sure is, ahem, one marvellous Miltonian mouthful!
Staggeringly brilliant essay, Adrian, with some very funny asides in it as well. Alistair Fowler’s edition of Milton’s PL has a running commentary throughout that’s quite erudite. His analysis of the argument between Eve and the Serpent is enlightening. In the poem, their dialogue devolves into a Scholastic debate between the two and I feel like the Tempter won. (Wonder if that was Milton’s intent.) One of things I didn’t know was that some medieval scholars believed that the Serpent was created four-legged, like the beasts of the field; and that it was only after the curse that he was forced to crawl on his belly as a snake. That passage in PL also has a word formation that makes me wince to this day: “into the plant sciential sap, derived.” Even Homer nods. 😂
Thanks so much, Daniel. Yes, I'm inclined to accept Harold Bloom's analysis that Milton was a little too enamoured with Old Scratch for his own good. And yes, I like the Crocodileagle idea which I explore here: https://scriptourer.substack.com/p/serpentspeak - makes best sense of 3:14 methinks. And also yes, that sure is, ahem, one marvellous Miltonian mouthful!