The Acrostic Paradise Lost by John Milton and Terrance Lindall

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vision or replace the illustration or illustrations of the artist’s view of a poem and his
capturing that view on a canvas. The aspirations of each, however, critic and
artist/illustrator, need not be pitted against one another; indeed should not. Rather, they
should be welcomed for the manner in which each complements a view or views of a
poem thereby bringing together two significant disciplines: that of the writer/poet
together with that of the artist/illustrator
Poets who aspire to lofty goals lend themselves most readily to being illustrated,
providing us with the opportunity of looking at how a poem or group of poems is seen by
the eye of an artist. Instead of learning about the themes and poetry of a given age or
period as seen only through the eyes of writers and critics, we are privileged to have the
views of the artist to help us see and appreciate the poetic vision of the poet, sometimes
in great variation from one period to the next or as viewed by one generation to the next.
Obviously, given the monumental issues in Paradise Lost as well as Milton's portrayal of
them, it should be no surprise to say that Paradise Lost may well be the most illustrated
of poems and epics. I intend no controversy by saying this, but wish simply to call
attention to how epic scenes have been brought to life for viewers by master artists
capable of depicting grand visions within grand poems; by artists capable of capturing
with visionary view what words alone can never do. The painter/illustrator, in capturing
moments which might otherwise have been given less recognition than they deserve,
provides a vital service in bringing to life scenes or moments, images or views depicted
in poetic form by the poet, thereby enabling the viewer to appreciate all the more what
the poet has achieved and how he has achieved it.
Lindall has himself said about Milton’s epic: “With Paradise Lost, the written word in its
greatest form, Milton was able to evoke. . .immense space and project spectacular
landscapes of both heaven and hell, and create also the monumentally tragic character of
Satan, courageous yet debased, blinded by jealousy and ambition, heroic nonetheless.
The blind poet brings powerful visionary life to one of the world’s greatest stories, id est,
the Western legend of man’s creation and fall, a story encompassing philosophical
concepts of free will, good and evil, justice and mercy, all presented with the greatest
artistry to which the written word can aspire.”
Lindall also believes “that insight into Milton and the aesthetic and intellectual pleasures
of Paradise Lost can elevate every individual’s experience in education, thought, and
human endeavor. . .through the inspiration of the written word.”
It is this cherished belief, which has compelled Lindall to want to bring Paradise Lost
alive to others, to urge all to see in Milton, as he does, the power of the word and image,
and to want to illustrate Milton’s epic for others to see in relation to the eternal truths and
values captured by Milton and conveyed in his great epic poem.