Analytical Paper for English 305

You must write a critical analysis of 1,500 to 2,500 words (5-8 pages) on some aspect of Milton's Paradise Lost (alternative topics must be approved by me). The primary focus of your analysis should be on your interpretation of PL rather than what the critics say. At the same time, you must include in your analysis references to at least five outside, scholarly sources (this does not include encyclopedias or trivial, non-academic sources like Cliff Notes and so on). You should look carefully at the bibliography in the course syllabus as you begin to work on your research, and keep in mind that both The Cambridge Companion to Milton and A Preface to Paradise Lost are excellent critical sources for your paper.

In approaching your analysis, remember that your main task is to explain as clearly and fully as possible your thesis; that is, you must attempt to bring out the significance of tour thesis by analyzing metaphor, simile, paradox, irony, personification, imagery, meter, and rhyme scheme, or by discussing theme, characterization, biblical influence/allusion, or similar concerns.

Here are some possible topics:

  1. Milton's Primary Epic Within Paradise Lost
  2. The Relationship of Adam and Eve before and after the Fall
  3. The Seven Deadly Sins in Paradise Lost
  4. Messengers of God: The Angels of Paradise Lost
  5. Milton’s Use of Personification in Paradise Lost: Sin and Death
  6. Milton’s Eve vs. the Biblical Eve
  7. Reason and Passion in Adam and Eve
  8. Satan, the Hero of Paradise Lost?
  9. In Defense of Milton’s View of Women
  10. Imagery in Paradise Lost: Light vs. Darkness
  11. Milton’s “Forgotten” Psalm Paraphrases
  12. The Psalm Paraphrases of Paradise Lost
  13. The Lady in Comus vs. Eve in Paradise Lost
  14. Milton’s use of Metaphor in His Sonnets and Lyric Poems
  15. “Since God is Light”:  Milton’s Vision of God in Paradise Lost
  16. Milton’s Use of Rhetoric in Comus
  17. After the Fall:  The Impact of Sin in Paradise Lost vs. Genesis 1-3
  18. Masters of Deception:  Comus and Satan
  19. Shakespeare’s Iago as the Literary Father of Milton’s Satan
  20. A Comparison/Contrast of Selected Epic Characteristics of the Aeneid and Paradise Lost.

The paper should have at least a paragraph of introduction with a clearly stated thesis. In the body of the paper you should quote freely from PL and to a lesser degree from scholarly sources. Students who do poorly on this paper most often fail to quote specific lines in PL in order to support arguments or points of development. In addition, there is no substitute for careful, coherent, and relevant research; vague, generalized, non-specific, "off-the-cuff" remarks are not acceptable.

Finally, I will evaluate your paper according to three criteria in descending order of importance. First and foremost, I will note if your content is meaningful, thoughtful, and logical. I will look to see if you are "shooting the bull." If so, I will not hesitate to mark it as such. Second, I will study your paper to see if it is well-researched, well-documented, well-organized, neat, and easy to read. If you are uncertain about proper documentation techniques, refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition. Lastly, I will check the grammatical accuracy of you paper.

Due date is April 23, 2008 by midnight.