Length5h 35m
About this audiobook
C. S. Lewis’s illuminating reflections on Milton’s Paradise Lost, the seminal classic that profoundly influenced Christian thought as well as Lewis’s own.
In Preface to Paradise Lost, the Christian apologist and revered scholar and professor of literature closely examines the style, content, structure, and themes of Milton’s masterpiece, a retelling of the biblical story of the Fall of Humankind, Satan’s temptation, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Considering the story within the context of the Western literary tradition, Lewis offers invaluable insights into Paradise Lost and the nature of literature itself, unveiling the poem’s beauty and its wisdom.
Lewis explains and defends the literary form known as “Epic,” pondering simple yet perceptive questions such as: What is an Epic? Why, in the seventeenth century, did Milton choose to write his story in this style? In what sense is Paradise Lost similar to the Homeric poems or the Anglo Saxon Beowulf? In what sense did Milton develop Virgil’s legacy?
With the clarity of thought and style that are the hallmarks of his writing, Lewis provides answers with a lucidity and lightness that deepens our understanding of this literary form and both illuminates Milton’s immortal epic and its meaning and inspires readers to revisit it. Ultimately, he reminds us why elements including ritual, splendor, and joy deserve to exist and hold a sacred place in human life.
One of Lewis’s most revered scholarly works, Preface to Paradise Lost is indispensable for literature, philosophy, and religion scholars and for ardent fans of Lewis’s writings.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.3 (2.5K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, StoryGraph
GenreSpirituality and Religion, Literary Classics
Length5 hrs 35 mins
Narrated byJohn Lee
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateApr 5, 2022
LanguageEnglish
C. S. Lewis Essential Audio LibraryC. S. Lewis38h 51m4.7 (630)$53 · $0.00
Letters on Living the FaithC. S. Lewis4h 50m4.5 (58)$20 · $0.00
The Abolition of ManC. S. Lewis1h 36m4.3 (56.3K)$16 · $0.00
George MacDonaldC. S. Lewis4h 24m4.3 (2.1K)$20 · $0.00
A Grief ObservedC. S. Lewis1h 54m4.3 (111.9K)$16 · $0.00
MiraclesC. S. Lewis7h 24m4.2 (31.5K)$24 · $0.00
On Writing (and Writers)C. S. Lewis3h 10m4.3 (1.2K)$18 · $0.00
Weight of GloryC. S. Lewis5h 9m4.5 (31.1K)$24 · $0.00
The Reading LifeC. S. Lewis2h 11m4.3 (3.4K)$16 · $0.00
The Screwtape LettersC. S. Lewis4h4.4 (601.6K)$20 · $0.00
English Literature in the Sixteenth Century (Excluding Drama)C. S. Lewis25h 17m4.3 (409)$53 · $0.00
Mere ChristianityC. S. Lewis7h 7m4.4 (519.7K)$24 · $0.00
The Chronicles of Narnia Complete Audio CollectionC. S. Lewis33h 46m4.7 (17.1K)$52 · $0.00
The Great DivorceC. S. Lewis3h 23m4.4 (230.4K)$18 · $0.00
Cartas del Diablo a Su SobrinoC. S. Lewis4h 57m4.4 (510.3K)$20 · $0.00
Preparación para PascuaC. S. Lewis5h 9m4.2 (1K)$24 · $0.00
Mero CristianismoC. S. Lewis9h 3m4.4 (14.3K)$24 · $0.00
The Problem of PainC. S. Lewis3h 50m4.1 (79.4K)$20 · $0.00
The Voyage of the Dawn TreaderC. S. Lewis5h 51m4.3 (530.3K)$24 · $0.00
Faith of Our FathersC.H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, others7h 24m5.0 (98)$17
The Way of RoninTu Lam12h 9m4.9 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
Divine DestinyScott Hogle5h 4m5.0 (101)$20
Proud Police WifeRebecca Lynn4h 52m4.8 (14K)$10 · $0.00
I Hear His Whisper 365 Daily Devotions (Gift Edition)Brian Simmons, Gretchen Rodriguez9h 23m4.8 (2K)$10 · $0.00
The Chosen Presents: A Blended Harmony of the GospelsSteve Laube, Amanda Jenkins, Dallas Jenkins7h 8m4.9 (823)$10 · $0.00
A Little God Time for Women Morning & Evening DevotionalBroadStreet Publishing Group LLC15h 15m4.9 (1.2K)$10 · $0.00
The Gospel of Luke: NASB 2020New American Standard Bible2h 41m4.9 (272)$15
Morning & EveningC.H. Spurgeon35h 32m4.8 (37.5K)$30
Prayers from the Throne RoomBrian Simmons8h 55m4.9 (256)$10 · $0.00
31 Decrees of Blessing for Your LifePatricia King2h 38m4.8 (1.4K)$10 · $0.00
Walk With Me JesusMarie Chapian6h 4m4.9 (157)$10 · $0.00
The Book of Mormon (Annotated)Joseph Smith32h 58m4.8 (322)$2 · $0.00
Prayers on Fire for WomenBrian Simmons, Candice Simmons8h 24m4.9 (130)$10 · $0.00
Strong's Bible ConcordanceJames Strong136h 23m4.7 (21.6K)$2 · $0.00
365 Days of Hope and Healing for Your Body, Mind, and SoulJoan Hunter8h 48m4.9 (158)$10 · $0.00
Rewrite the Mother CodeDr. Gertrude Lyons10h 55m4.9 (144)$25
Loved BabySarah Philpott4h 51m4.8 (1.4K)$10 · $0.00
The QuranAllah23h 7m4.7 (136.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Secret of the RosaryLouis de Montfort6h 1m4.7 (16K)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Unabridged)Jane Austen88h 8m4.7 (8.6K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare157h 18m4.7 (1.9K)$2 · $0.00
C. S. LewisC. S. Lewis38h 55m4.7 (24.8K)$30
The Jeeves and Wooster Stories: The Complete Collection (33 Books)P. G. Wodehouse21h 57m4.7 (2.8K)$15 · $0.00
The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn21h 56m4.7 (8.9K)$46 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m4.6 (16.7K)$5 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Novels, Short Stories and Autobiographical WritingsFyodor Dostoyevsky270h 59m4.7 (2.5K)$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 9m4.8 (150)$0.99 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens818h 55m4.6 (4.3K)$0.99 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë204h 15m4.7 (2.6K)$0.99 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m4.6 (2.8K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m4.6 (2.7K)$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m4.7 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the Brontë Family Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë140h 13m4.6 (2.6K)$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m4.6 (2.5K)$2 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Novels, Short Stories, Plays, Articles, Essays, Travel Sketches and Memoirs (Annotated)Anthony Trollope1096h 4m4.6 (1.4K)$0.99 · $0.00
Ivanhoe (Annotated)Walter Scott22h 52m4.8 (88)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of G. K. Chesterton (Annotated)G. K. Chesterton421h 37m4.6 (1.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
You may also like
The Complete Poetical Works of John MiltonJohn Milton20h 33m4.3 (3.8K)$1 · $0.00
Paradise Lost + Paradise Regained (2 Unabridged Classics + Original Illustrations by Gustave Doré) (Annotated)John Milton11h 56m4.4 (2.2K)$3 · $0.00
The Complete Poetical Works of John Milton (Annotated)John Milton21h 3m4.3 (2.3K)$0.99 · $0.00
Paradise LostJohn Milton8h 33m4.1 (205.2K)$2.30
Paradise LostJohn Milton9h 2m4.0 (224.5K)$20
A Preface to Paradise LostC. S. Lewis6h 44m4.3 (2.5K)$2 · $0.00
The Divine Comedy (Annotated Edition) (Annotated)Dante Alighieri17h 34m4.3 (8.8K)$0.99 · $0.00
The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio & ParadisoDante Alighieri15h 5m4.2 (217K)$1 · $0.00
The Divine ComedyDante Alighieri13h 18m4.2 (219.8K)$23
The Classic Myths in English Literature and in ArtThomas Bulfinch, Charles Mills Gayley18h 19m4.1 (1.6K)$1 · $0.00
Metamorphoses (Annotated)Ovid28h 37m4.3 (80.8K)$2 · $0.00
DIVINE COMEDY (Annotated)Dante Alighieri15h 9m4.3 (179.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Divine ComedyDante Alighieri16h 56m4.2 (220K)$1.20 · $0.00
Songs of KabirKabir2h 52m4.2 (1.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Divine ComedyDante Alighieri15h 10m4.3 (226K)$2 · $0.00
Divine ComedyDante Alighieri14h 31m4.3 (219.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Divine ComedyDante Alighieri11h 11m4.3 (209.3K) · 1602Free
Paradise LostJOHN MILTON8h 44m4.1 (206.3K)$3.50 · $0.00
Divine Comedy - CompleteDante Alighieri11h 33m4.2 (219.6K)Free
The Gallery of Portraits (Vol. 1-7) (Annotated)Arthur Thomas Malkin65h 28m$0.99 · $0.00