Curated Resources
Everything you need to study, enjoy, and deepen your understanding of Paradise Lost—all freely accessible online.
Structured Courses
Guided, self-paced learning experiences
Hillsdale College — Paradise Lost
9 video lectures (~40 min each) by Prof. Stephen Smith. Book-by-book walkthrough from Hell through the Fall to Redemption. Strong on literary beauty, Satan's rhetoric, human nature, and providence. Includes study guides and quizzes for a free certificate.
DartmouthX: John Milton: Paradise Lost (edX)
4-week self-paced course by Prof. Thomas Luxon. Short video lectures, reading assignments, and social annotation using the excellent Milton Reading Room. May be archived but materials often still viewable.
University Lectures
Deep academic dives from leading scholars
Open Yale — ENGL 220: Milton (Prof. John Rogers)
Full course with excellent close readings. Key Paradise Lost lectures include Book I (Lecture 9), Book III (13), Books V–VI (15), Books VII–VIII (16), Book IX (17–18), and Books XI–XII (19–20). Videos, transcripts, and syllabus all freely available.
Benjamin McEvoy — How to Read Paradise Lost
A practical, enthusiastic introduction to the poem. Highly recommended as a first listen before diving into the text. Hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
Richard Strier (UChicago) — Paradise Lost Lectures
The University of Chicago scholar's incisive lectures on Paradise Lost, available on YouTube. Known for sharp close readings and historical context.
Course Hero — Paradise Lost Summaries
Book-by-book video summaries covering character, plot, and key themes. Useful for review and orientation before reading each book.
Primary Texts
Read and study the poem itself
The John Milton Reading Room (Dartmouth)
The best free scholarly edition of Paradise Lost. Hyperlinked annotations, glosses, biblical and classical sources, introductions, and research guides. Ideal for analytical self-study.
Project Gutenberg
Free public domain text of Paradise Lost in multiple formats (HTML, EPUB, Kindle, plain text). Clean formatting ideal for offline reading.
Standard Ebooks
Beautifully formatted, modern edition of Paradise Lost. Meticulously proofread and typeset for ereaders. Free download.
Audio & Immersive
Listen while commuting, working, or winding down
Anton Lesser Narration
Widely praised as the definitive audiobook narration of Paradise Lost. Available on YouTube, Audible, and various audiobook platforms.
LibriVox Public Domain Audiobook
Free community-recorded audiobook of Paradise Lost. Multiple readers bring different interpretive approaches to the poem.
Suggested Study Paths
Four approaches depending on your goals and available time
Beginner / Faith-Focused Path
Best if you want a guided, theologically-grounded introduction.
- Hillsdale course (9 video lectures) — provides structure and context
- Follow along in the Milton Reading Room with annotations
- Listen to an audiobook narration alongside your reading
Analytical Deep Dive
Best if you want to engage critically with the poem.
- Milton Reading Room as your primary text
- Selected Yale lectures by book (start with Books I, IV, IX)
- Benjamin McEvoy's intro for orientation
- Track biblical parallels (Genesis, Job, Revelation) in your notes
Slow Reading Path
One book per week. Savor the poem over a season.
- Read one book per week using the Reading Room annotations
- Watch one lecture per book (Hillsdale or Yale)
- Journal on themes: free will, temptation, redemption, hierarchy
Full Immersion
Combine a course, audiobook, and personal reflection.
- Listen to the audiobook during commutes for fluency
- Work through Hillsdale or Yale course systematically
- Read with Reading Room annotations for depth
- Take thematic notes connecting to providence, virtue, and the Rule of Life
Supplemental Books
Scholarly editions, critical studies, and background texts available for download. Each includes a purchase link to the published edition.
A Preface to Paradise Lost
The classic defense of Milton's poem. Lewis treats Satan as a great rhetorical power—but not a figure to admire—and reads the poem through epic convention and Christian orthodoxy.
City of God
Augustine's magnum opus, foundational to the theodicy problem Milton confronts. Essential background for understanding the poem's engagement with divine justice and the nature of evil.
Milton: Paradise Lost (Longman Edition)
The most heavily cited academic edition—Fowler's notes and commentary represent the gold standard for scholarly close reading of the poem.
Milton's God
The famous contrarian response. Empson presses hard on the poem's moral and theological tensions, arguing that Milton's God is the real problem.
Paradise Lost (Norton Critical Edition)
A strong alternative to Fowler, bundling the poem with key critical essays, contextual documents, and thorough editorial apparatus.
Paradise Lost and Its Critics
An early skeptical reading that helped frame the modern critical debate, challenging whether Milton's theological aims match what the poem actually achieves.
Surprised by Sin: The Reader in Paradise Lost
A landmark reader-response account arguing the poem is designed to trap and then correct the reader's sympathies—especially toward Satan.