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The Divine Comedy
- Written by: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (translator)
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- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
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Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
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Not the Original book !
- By Anonymous User on 2019-04-18
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The Aeneid
- Written by: Virgil
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
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The Aeneid represents one of the greatest cultural and artistic achievements of Western Civilization. Within the brooding and melancholy atmosphere of Virgil's pious masterpiece lies the mythic story of Aeneas and his flight from burning Troy, taking with him across the Mediterranean the survivors of the Greek onslaught. Aeneas, after many travails and adventures, including a love affair with Dido Queen of Carthage and a visit to the underworld to see his father, ends up in Italy.
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Well Read, Clear translation
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-10-10
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Faust
- Written by: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Narrated by: Auriol Smith, Gunnar Cauthery, Stephen Critchlow, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
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Faust is one of the pillars of Western literature. This classic drama presents the story of the scholar Faust, tempted into a contract with the Devil in return for a life of sensuality and power. Enjoyment rules, until Faust’s emotions are stirred by a meeting with Gretchen, and the tragic outcome brings Part 1 to an end. Part 2, written much later in Goethe’s life, places his eponymous hero in a variety of unexpected circumstances, causing him to reflect on humanity and its attitudes to life and death.
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Crime and Punishment (Recorded Books Edition)
- Written by: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 25 hrs and 1 min
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Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is universally regarded as one of literature's finest achievements, as the great Russian novelist explores the inner workings of a troubled intellectual. Raskolnikov, a nihilistic young man in the midst of a spiritual crisis, makes the fateful decision to murder a cruel pawnbroker, justifying his actions by relying on science and reason, and creating his own morality system. Dehumanized yet sympathetic, exhausted yet hopeful, Raskolnikov represents the best and worst elements of modern intellectualism. The aftermath of his crime and Petrovich's murder investigation result in an utterly compelling, truly unforgettable cat-and-mouse game. This stunning dramatization of Dostoevsky's magnum opus brings the slums of St. Petersburg and the demons of Raskolnikov's tortured mind vividly to life.
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Work of genius
- By Joe Heath on 2018-09-23
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Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey
- Written by: Homer, W. H. D. Rouse - translator
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 25 hrs and 2 mins
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Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are unquestionably two of the greatest epic masterpieces in Western literature. Though more than 2,700 years old, their stories of brave heroics, capricious gods, and towering human emotions are vividly timeless. The Iliad can justly be called the world’s greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns. The Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars to his beloved wife.
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Great narrator
- By Alejandro Gonzalez on 2019-06-22
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Ulysses
- Penguin Classics
- Written by: James Joyce
- Narrated by: Patrick Gibson
- Length: 32 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Following the events of one single day in Dublin, the 16th June 1904, and what happens to the characters Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom and his wife, Molly, Ulysses is a monument to the human condition. It has survived censorship, controversy and legal action and even been deemed blasphemous but remains an undisputed modernist classic: ceaselessly inventive, garrulous, funny, sorrowful, vulgar, lyrical and ultimately redemptive. It confirms Joyce's belief that literature 'is the eternal affirmation of the spirit of man'.
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The Divine Comedy
- Written by: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (translator)
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
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Not the Original book !
- By Anonymous User on 2019-04-18
-
The Aeneid
- Written by: Virgil
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Aeneid represents one of the greatest cultural and artistic achievements of Western Civilization. Within the brooding and melancholy atmosphere of Virgil's pious masterpiece lies the mythic story of Aeneas and his flight from burning Troy, taking with him across the Mediterranean the survivors of the Greek onslaught. Aeneas, after many travails and adventures, including a love affair with Dido Queen of Carthage and a visit to the underworld to see his father, ends up in Italy.
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Well Read, Clear translation
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-10-10
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Faust
- Written by: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Narrated by: Auriol Smith, Gunnar Cauthery, Stephen Critchlow, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Faust is one of the pillars of Western literature. This classic drama presents the story of the scholar Faust, tempted into a contract with the Devil in return for a life of sensuality and power. Enjoyment rules, until Faust’s emotions are stirred by a meeting with Gretchen, and the tragic outcome brings Part 1 to an end. Part 2, written much later in Goethe’s life, places his eponymous hero in a variety of unexpected circumstances, causing him to reflect on humanity and its attitudes to life and death.
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Crime and Punishment (Recorded Books Edition)
- Written by: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 25 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is universally regarded as one of literature's finest achievements, as the great Russian novelist explores the inner workings of a troubled intellectual. Raskolnikov, a nihilistic young man in the midst of a spiritual crisis, makes the fateful decision to murder a cruel pawnbroker, justifying his actions by relying on science and reason, and creating his own morality system. Dehumanized yet sympathetic, exhausted yet hopeful, Raskolnikov represents the best and worst elements of modern intellectualism. The aftermath of his crime and Petrovich's murder investigation result in an utterly compelling, truly unforgettable cat-and-mouse game. This stunning dramatization of Dostoevsky's magnum opus brings the slums of St. Petersburg and the demons of Raskolnikov's tortured mind vividly to life.
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Work of genius
- By Joe Heath on 2018-09-23
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Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey
- Written by: Homer, W. H. D. Rouse - translator
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 25 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are unquestionably two of the greatest epic masterpieces in Western literature. Though more than 2,700 years old, their stories of brave heroics, capricious gods, and towering human emotions are vividly timeless. The Iliad can justly be called the world’s greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns. The Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars to his beloved wife.
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Great narrator
- By Alejandro Gonzalez on 2019-06-22
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Ulysses
- Penguin Classics
- Written by: James Joyce
- Narrated by: Patrick Gibson
- Length: 32 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Following the events of one single day in Dublin, the 16th June 1904, and what happens to the characters Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom and his wife, Molly, Ulysses is a monument to the human condition. It has survived censorship, controversy and legal action and even been deemed blasphemous but remains an undisputed modernist classic: ceaselessly inventive, garrulous, funny, sorrowful, vulgar, lyrical and ultimately redemptive. It confirms Joyce's belief that literature 'is the eternal affirmation of the spirit of man'.
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The Canterbury Tales [Blackstone]
- Written by: Geoffrey Chaucer
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis, Jay Carnes, Ray Porter, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In this edition, we hear, translated into modern English, 20-some tales, told in the voices of knight and merchant, wife and miller, squire and nun, and many more. Some are bawdy, some spiritual, some romantic, some mysterious, some chivalrous. Between the stories, the travelers converse, joke, and argue, revealing much about their individual outlooks upon life as well as what life was like in late 14th-century England.
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The Faerie Queene
- Written by: Edmund Spenser
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 33 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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This remarkable poem, dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I, was Spenser's finest achievement. The first epic poem in modern English, The Faerie Queene combines dramatic narratives of chivalrous adventure with exquisite and picturesque episodes of pageantry. At the same time, Spenser is expounding a deeply-felt allegory of the eternal struggle between Truth and Error....
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The Odyssey
- Written by: Homer, A. T. Murray - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The Odyssey is the greatest adventure story ever written, and one of the great epic masterpieces of Western literature For almost 3,000 years, it has been a storehouse of ancient Greek folklore and myth. It is also our very first novel, if we think of it in terms of romantic plot development, realistic characterizations, frequent change of scene, and heroic dramatic devices.
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Beyond Good and Evil
- Written by: Friedrich Nietzsche
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings, Roy McMillan
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Continuing where Thus Spoke Zarathustra left off, Nietzsche's controversial work Beyond Good and Evil is one of the most influential philosophical texts of the 19th century and one of the most controversial works of ideology ever written. Attacking the notion of morality as nothing more than institutionalised weakness, Nietzsche criticises past philosophers for their unquestioning acceptance of moral precepts. Nietzsche tried to formulate what he called "the philosophy of the future".
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A Pretty Enjoyable Read
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-08-15
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The Iliad
- Written by: Homer, Richmond Lattimore - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The Iliad is one of the most enduring creations of Western Civilization and was originally written to be recited or chanted to the accompaniment of various instruments. Properly performed, this work today is just as meaningful, just as powerful, and just as entertaining as it was in the ninth century BC, and it casts its spell upon modern listeners with the same raw intensity as it did upon the people of ancient times.
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Very Well Done
- By Hmackdad on 2019-01-10
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The Divine Comedy
- Written by: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the greatest works in literature, Dante's story-poem is an allegory that represents mankind as it exposes itself, by its merits or demerits, to the rewards or the punishments of justice. A single listen will reveal Dante's visual imagination and uncanny power to make the spiritual visible.
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The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition]
- Written by: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrated by: Constantine Gregory
- Length: 37 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a titanic figure among the world's great authors, and The Brothers Karamazov is often hailed as his finest novel. A masterpiece on many levels, it transcends the boundaries of a gripping murder mystery to become a moving account of the battle between love and hate, faith and despair, compassion and cruelty, good and evil.
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To stare into the Abyss
- By Maxime on 2018-07-15
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The Road to Wigan Pier
- Written by: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Jeremy Northam
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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A graphic and biting polemic that still holds a fierce political relevance and impact despite being written over half a century ago. First published in 1937 it charts George Orwell's observations of working-class life during the 1930s in the industrial heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire. His depictions of social injustice and rising unemployment, the dangerous working conditions in the mines amid general squalor and hunger also bring together many of the ideas explored in his later works and novels.
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incredible, relevant
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-03-19
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The Metamorphoses
- Written by: Ovid
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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An undeniable masterpiece of Western Civilization, The Metamorphoses is a continuous narrative that covers all the Olympian legends, seamlessly moving from one story to another in a splendid panorama of savage beauty, charm, and wit. All of the gods and heroes familiar to us are represented. Such familiar legends as Hercules, Perseus and Medusa, Daedelus and Icarus, Diana and Actaeon, and many others, are breathtakingly recreated.
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A Tale as Old as Time
- By Melissa on 2019-03-04
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The Odyssey
- Written by: Homer, Robert Fagles - translator
- Narrated by: Ian McKellen
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The great adventure story tells of Odysseus, a veteran of the Trojan War, who - through a landscape peopled with monsters, sea nymphs, evil enchantresses, and vengeful gods - makes his tortuous way home to his faithful wife, Penelope. Shipwrecked numerous times, faced with apparently insurmountable obstacles, offered the temptations of ease, comfort, and even immortality, Odysseus remains steadfast and determined. Themes of courage and perseverance, fidelity and fortitude.
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Reading & Story - good. Recording quality-lacking.
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-09-28
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Inferno: From The Divine Comedy
- Written by: Dante Alighieri, Benedict Flynn (translator)
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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"Abandon all hope you who enter here." ( "Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch’intrate.") Dante’s Hell is one of the most remarkable visions in Western literature. An allegory for his and future ages, it is, at the same time, an account of terrifying realism. Passing under a lintel emblazoned with these frightening words, the poet is led down into the depths by Virgil and shown those doomed to suffer eternal torment for vices exhibited and sins committed on earth.
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worth the hype
- By hussam on 2018-03-06
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Le Morte D'Arthur
- Written by: Sir Thomas Malory
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 32 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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This monumental work made the Arthurian cycle available for the first time in English. Arthur is conceived and taken away in secret, returning as a young man to claim the throne by pulling the sword Excalibur from the stone. In retelling the story of Arthur's rule of Britain, Malory intertwines the romances of Guinevere and Launcelot, Tristram and Isolde, and Launcelot and Elaine. Sir Galahad's appearance at Camelot begins the quest for the Holy Grail.
Publisher's Summary
The main work represented in this recording, Paradise Lost, is divided into roughly three sections. In the first section, covering books one through four, we are shown how Satan manages to regroup his followers after their defeat in Heaven, how they decide to renew the struggle with God, how Satan escapes from Hell and makes his way to earth to do mischief, and how God discovers Satan's new plot and decides to allow it to unfold.
The next section, books five through eight, take place on earth as we are introduced to Adam and Eve, their discourses with God's angels, and a retelling of the battle between God and Satan as rendered by the angel Raphael.
In the last section, books nine through 12, Eve is seduced by a disguised Satan and eats the forbidden fruit. Adam, distressed at the event, yet unwilling to be parted from Eve, decides to eat the fruit and share her fate. God sends His Son to earth to render punishment, but only after the Son pleads successfully on their behalf for mercy. He descends and tells Adam that they can no longer remain in Eden, but then takes him to a place and shows him a vision of mankind's future.
Paradise Regained follows the Gospel of Luke in presenting the story of Satan's temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In striking contrast to Adam and Eve, Satan is utterly foiled in his attempt to corrupt the Son of God.
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Thomas Phelan
- 2011-01-10
Great Bio Followed by Milton's Masterpiece
Other reviewers criticized this audio book for the 2 hour bio of Milton. I thought the biography of Milton was excellent. It really puts the poem in perspective and gives the reader a better appreciation for Milton and for Paradise Lost. If you don't want to listen to the bio, just skip to the poem. Milton's beliefs about the relationship of church and state were way ahead of his time, and he quite literally put his neck on the line for his beliefs. Milton is often criticized for staying loyal to Cromwell long after it became clear that Cromwell had abandoned many of the principles which helped him come to power. But what choice did he have? The alternative to Cromwell was the Crown. With Cromwell and his successors there was some hope however slim, with the Crown there was none.
Anyhow, the poem itself is very well read, but listen to this when you can focus such as on a walk. If you're listening in the car you'll be hitting the 30 second rewind a lot or missing much. This is no fault of the narrator, it is just a very dense work.
69 of 69 people found this review helpful
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Overall
- thomas
- 2011-04-23
SELL YOUR SHIRT FOR THIS AUDIO BOOK!
Having listened to both Naxos sets (Anton Lesser), Blackstone (Ralph Cosham) and (Nadia May) for some years, I have to say that Griffin really holds the listener. You can soon skip the biography if you wish. You can also enjoy and learn from 'Paradise Regained' as this, too, is really an added bonus in this set!
If you are troubled with understanding at first, read Lanzana's novel or his plain English version. C. S. Lewis has a famous 'Preface'. Nicolson's 'Reader's Guide to John Milton' is also a great way to start. Blarmire's 'Milton's Creation' is a superb commentary.
Keep listening to Milton, especially this set, and you'll find a life-long friend - by far the best writer of all!
112 of 113 people found this review helpful
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- Troy
- 2013-03-01
To Reign in Hell
One of the separation points I have when reading classical poetry is that it's just not the same when reading to yourself. Poetry of this caliber demands a performance. From Homer to Shakespeare and beyond, epic poetry requires the performance from a master with a strong voice to get the drama across on a higher level. Charlton Griffin delivers that punch, catapulting the listener through some of the best epic poetry ever offered in this planet's history.
For those who only think they know the story, and especially for those who seem to think of Paradise Lost as merely "Biblical fanfic," I would invite those people to spend some time in the mind of the literary genius of Milton through this work. And as a bonus, you get the sequel for free, as well as a 2-hour bio of Milton so as to place these works in the historical and spiritual contexts in which they were written - a time of ecclesiastical upheaval. Getting the proper perspective makes all the difference when understanding and appreciating a work like this.
43 of 44 people found this review helpful
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- chad
- 2013-03-01
Interesting.
Would you listen to Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained again? Why?
I would listen again. One, because it's necessary to understand everything that Milton is trying to say and two, it's very interesting. It makes you think about Christianity from multiple angles which takes you down trails of thought that you may have never ventured before.
What about Charlton Griffin’s performance did you like?
Mr Griffon's performance was great. I couldn't ask for more than he delivered in this audio.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
You could not take this all in one sitting. Unless you're very comfortable with Olde English and very versed in all the literary references. I am/was not. It would have taken me over 48 hours straight.
Any additional comments?
Gets sleepy at times. Easy to get lost in the language and references. Be prepared to rewind alot. Also helpfull to have some sort of study guide to reference while listening.
22 of 23 people found this review helpful
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- Antonio Simon, Jr.
- 2016-05-02
An epic poem, brilliantly performed
While I hesitate to review Milton's masterpiece because it is indeed a masterpiece of Western literature, here's my best shot at it. "Paradise Lost" starts with the fall of the angels and ends with the expulsion from Eden. After Lucifer is cast out of heaven for leading a revolt against God, he gets revenge by setting into motion mankind's fall from grace. "Paradise Regained" is a sequel of sorts; it tells the story of Jesus's life with particular emphasis of the temptation in the desert.
"Paradise Lost" is Milton's magnum opus, with each word and each phrase seemingly hand-picked for its role in this epic poem. The language is necessarily dense with meaning, so don't rush through this one. In fact, in order to fully appreciate the work for its rythm and packing, it should be recited aloud, even if only to yourself.
"Paradise Regained" takes a different approach than its predecessor. It is excellent in its own right, although it lacks the impact of "Paradise Lost." Lucifer here is reduced to a wheedling minor character, whereas before he was a bold and insidious rebel.
In short, definitely read "Paradise Lost", and read "Paradise Regained" only to complete the epic story told in both poems.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Overall
- Daniel
- 2010-09-29
It's True.
I can confirm that the actual Paradise Lost narrative doesn't begin until the 2:09:45 mark. I'm amazed this audiobook spends the first two hours giving biographical info, sample poems that aren't actually a part of the main narrative, etc.
Otherwise, the reader's voice is by far the most engaging, dramatic and rich among the offerings here at audible. If cost is not an issue, I'd recommend this version and skip to the time hack indicated above.
52 of 57 people found this review helpful
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- Coach of Alva
- 2015-11-29
Ways of God Justified
Milton's poems describe, respectively, The Fall of Man and The Temptation of Christ. I first read them when I was a very young man and got little out of them. Re-reading and hearing them in my late middle age, I loved and revered them. I admired Milton's art both as a poet and a dramatist. His version of the The Fall is a tragedy as much as an epic, with scenes of high drama and psychological insight as well as of poetry and theology. I saw the personal as well as the spiritual damage that the heroes, Adam and Eve, sustained, and was glad that they and their kindred were given their hope of redemption. I did find Milton's Satan an excellent villain, nothing more, despite claims by those who apparently only read the first half of the story.
I was surprised that I was more than half convinced by Milton's justification of the works of God. I accepted, during the reading, at least, the Father's reasons for not doing more to protect his special creation. In the sequel, I agree with the Son's refusal to be impressed by what the Tempter had made of the world and his promise to reclaim it and rebuild it.
As for the narrator, Griffin has made a specialty of the classical and the epic, and his reading of this English epic is as good as anything he has done.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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- Dean
- 2015-03-05
Wonderful
This is a truly amazing book. I loved the story and the narration. I highly recommend listening to this audio book.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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Overall
- J. J. Kuzma
- 2008-12-03
Time to finally tackle Milton!
You know you'll never read this heady classic, so why not let Charlton Griffin bring it to life as you listen. You might imagine, as you listen, the work as blind Milton dictated it to his daughter.
31 of 36 people found this review helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2017-09-21
Shakespeare and Milton, the masters of English!
Beautiful almost Beyond Compare. Beside William Shakespeare there's no master of the English language that compares with John Milton. The performance too is masterful and brings a work with somewhat antiquated language truly to life.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful